Escapees May-June 2024

camping chair chat

Opinions contained in “Camping Chair Chat” are not necessarily those of the Escapees RV Club, its o ffi cers or the membership in general. This column is for Escapees magazine readers to share thoughts, ideas and helpful hints. Escapees RV Club accepts no responsibility for what is expressed here by any person, group or company. If accepted, submissions will be edited for magazine style and formatting. Submissions that are sent by e-mail can be directed to departmentseditor@escapees.com. Even on our worst days, there is something for which to be grateful. For those of us on the road, even more. This shift in perspective can only bring more things to be grateful for, because that’s the law of the universe. It’s easy to fall into a victim mentality when all one focuses on is the negative, but staying in that perception only brings more of the same, so why not try to fi nd gratitude? I’ve been using this practice for the past few years I’ve been on the road, and wouldn’t you know, life has become a whole lot easier. Life may never be perfect, but what’s the fun in that anyway? Kelley Welch #173565 Life in Gratitude To be grateful is to be thankful for the good things in life, but I believe it’s so much more than just that. I believe we can fi ndgrati tude in the not so good days too. I believe the simple act of living in gratitude brings more things for which to be grateful. P icture this hypothetical scenario: your tow vehicle gets a fl at tire and you’re stuck on the side of the road, hungry, not feeling great, waiting for AAA because you left your jack at the campsite. You curse yourself for leaving the jack behind and think “of course this happens the time I’m not prepared.” Triple A takes longer than expected and you miss an important doctor’s appointment. It’s a real Murphy’s Law kind of afternoon, everything that can go wrong goes wrong, and when you fi nally get back to the campground the sun is already starting to set. We’ve all had these kind of days, where it can de fi nitely be hard to fi nd gratitude. But, let’s take a hypothetical step forward. You look up at the sky and notice that usually at this time you’re busy making dinner, instead you just caught the sunset. You would have never noticed the beautiful pinks and purples that blanketed the sky, signaling the time to wind down, take a deep breath and settle for the day. This example is exactly why living in gratitude is the way to abundance. By looking at every scenario in life as something leading you to something better, it’s easy to let the negativity go. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it.

Chapter 6 40th Anniversary Great Lakes Chapter 6 was chartered on September 9, 1984, when 14 families attended a rally at Hemming Park in Newago, Michigan. In the following years, our membership soon included families from the surround ing states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as Michigan, hence the original name, “Great Lakes.” By 2005, the surrounding states had formed their own chapters and our membership consisted of mostly Michiganders. At its peak, our membership consisted of over 200 families, now it’s about 115. C hapter 6 was an early supporter of “Miss Kay’s Dream,” Escapees CARE in Livingston, Texas.Our fi rst contribution in the amount of $47 was sent to CARE on June 14, 1993. In 1999, Chapter 6 celebrated its 15th anniversary and became the fi rst chapter to have contributed $10K to CARE. In its honor, the street around the CARE center was named “Great Lakes Cir.” The current total of our contributions now stands at $70K. Over the years, the chapter has also made donations to local Michigan charities, including “Paws With A Cause.” Our chapter has traditionally held three rallies per year, in June, July and September. Rallies have been held all over Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula. Joint rallies are held in June with Chapter 51 (Hoosier Neighbors) and previously with Chapter 36 (Erie Shores) while they were active. This year we will celebrate our 40th Anniversary with a rally at the Ionia County Fairgrounds in Ionia, MI, August 22–25. The camping fee is $35/night and anyone interested in attending the rally should contact our current chapter president, Bill Daines at 269-806-3043 or e-mail BD1770@aol.com to register or obtain more information. Doug Craw #37368

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ESCAPEES Magazine May/June 2024