All that togetherness...

I recently responded to a question from another RVer about "how do you get along when extended traveling?" Here's what I wrote...

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The Blonde and I have been together since high school; worked together most of our adult lives. We do almost everything together... and take turns picking "what next?" I spend more time on the computer than she does, but we use a Mifi card so we can both be on our computers at the same time. We ride bikes together, motorcycle, hike. Unlike in our younger years, neither of us wants to shop for the sheer enjoyment of it. Dishes: she washes, I dry. We make the bed together. She usually does the laundry because she likes it "her way." We have "blue jobs and pink jobs," but that doesn't mean that we can't swap colors once in a while. I generally drive when towing, she usually navigates. I go in to the campground to register while she gets things ready to settle in with the truck. She does the inside stuff in the HH while I get the outside work done... after we each put on a Roto-Chock. We are a team. When we're ready to roll, we both walk around the rig and check. I start up the truck while she goes to the back to check lights on the HH and the cargo trailer.

We picked this summer work situation because we can work together... well, sorta. I am driving a boat most of the time, but I get to see her between cruises. Our hours aren't exactly the same (not sure how it worked out that I am getting in more hours), but we do have the same days off... one of our requirements. When we come home to the HH, we are both interested in how each others' day went. We talk, and we listen.

The best thing I can recommend when spending LOTS of time around each other is: be respectful. Ramtough was right on with his comment... even if you win an argument, you still lose. Sometimes it's better to assess the situation and see, in the grand scheme of things, if "being right" is more important than getting along.

There are times when you need some uninterrupted time and space... we call that "in my box." If either of us is "in my box", the other knows to leave them alone. It sometimes happens when I am writing or Joan is doing financial things. When traveling/living in the HH or on the boat, it can sometimes be hard to have that "me time". "In my box" has solved that for us.

Just because we enjoy doing most things together, doesn't mean that we HAVE to do all things together. If I feel like a motorcycle ride and she wants to read, that works, too. If she wants to sleep in and I want to go see the sunrise, I try to be quiet on my way out.

For us, the journey through life has been more fulfilling because we take it on as a team. When I think she's being stubborn or she thinks I am being impossible, I just consider how fortunate I am to have a partner that not only goes along with this wandering lifestyle, but enthusiastically embraces it. There are a lot of couples who can't come to an agreement about what color to paint the bedroom or whether to go to the beach or the mountains for their week off... we are the VERY fortunate ones.

When you first start RVing, the angst can be: when to stop, which campground, which road to take, how long do we want to stay, and what next? Decide together and each support the decision. Don't say, "If you had listened to me..."

And enjoy the journey.