Escapees May-June 2023

camping chair chat

We Can All be “Janes” Most of us who have attended an Esca pade have heard Kay’s story about how she and Joe met when she attended her very fi rst (and almost last) Par ents without Partners meeting. I can’t remember exactly why Kay thought she wouldn’t come again. (She was too shy to meet people? Not the Kay we all know and love!) Anyway, as Kay was leaving, a lady (I’ll call her “Jane”) asked Kay to be a greeter at the next meeting. So Kay had to come back. That’s when Kay met Joe, and the rest is history. I am at Rainbow’s End in Livingston, Texas, and I stopped at one of the benches along the walking paths in the park. I sat for a moment feeling completely relaxed, which put me into a contem plative mood. I had just read the March/April issue of Escapees magazine with Joe’s wonderful happy smile on the cover and was thinking about the huge impact they both had on all of our lives. They have received awards, accolades, hugs, praise and recognition for it all, as well they should.

that everyone was there for the same reason, to fi nd their tribe. It’s what inspired me to write this article. Someone came up to me in the middle of the event and said she was having a tough time on the road. Her car broke down, she fell off her car roof, she was tight on cash and low in morale. Two days before hearing about my event she contemplated getting off the road entirely. To put it lightly, she was in a dark place. But at 10:00 p.m. dancing around the fi re with a dozen strangers, you’d never know it. You could see the light in her. She let me know this event was everything she needed. Because community is all we really need. The hard days seem lighter when you’re staring up at the night sky with people that get it. 3. MUSIC FESTIVALS —This can get expensive, but it's so much fun. Music festivals are a great opportunity to make new friends, especially when camping is included. This past summer my husband and I went to the Above & Beyond festival at the Gorge Amphitheater in Wash ington state. It was a very cool feeling to be surrounded by and dancing with thousands of people and have the ability to pop back into the RV and be at home to rest when needed. Festivals are where life long friendships are created. Some festivals to check out in 2023 are Coachella, Gem and Jam, Innings Festival, Beyond Wonderland and Stagecoach. 4. SOCIAL MEDIA —With so many places to explore and camp, it’s rare to be at the same place at the same time. This is what makes social media sites, like Instagram and Facebook, so great. You can do the preliminary work of getting to know a person by following their journeys. People can be really receptive, so why not slide into those DMs? 5.SAYHI! When all else fails, just say hi. Camp grounds fi ll up, especially in the summer, making it a great opportunity to invite your neighbor over for s’mores, have a meet and greet with your dogs or start small talk and fi nd out from where they've come. I think loneliness has the potential to reach everyone on the road, and you’ll never know how much that small talk can make someone’s day. It’s a win/win. Making friends on the road requires one to put themselves out there, and sometimes that can be uncomfortable, but in a lifestyle that pushes all bound aries of comfortability, leaving the comfort zone is kind of our thing. Two years into this lifestyle and I can con fi dentially say, it’s not about where you go, it’s about who you spend your time with when you’re there. Kelley Welch #173565 e

But my thinking went back a step to “Jane.” What if she had not asked Kay to be a greeter at the next meeting? Do you realize the impact that one little act of Jane’s a h

Jane

had on all of us? What if Kay hadn’t returned and met Joe? Think of all that would not be today: all the friends we would not have met if there

were no Escapees RV Club, all the RV parks we would not have been able to enjoy and the wonderful mail service we could not use. “Jane” probably never knew the domino effect her invitation had on thousands and thousands of lives. You never know how far your simple act of including someone or doing a simple kindness will go. I know Kay has often given similar messages at Escapades and in Escapees magazine, but the thought of it all just amazes me all over again! We can’t all be Joes and Kays, but we can all be the “Jane” or “James.” Joyce Space #61818 Reprint from July/August 2011

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May/June 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine