My Nomad Hiatus — The Return To The Road Is In Sight
In August 2020 I got off the road of full-time RV travel and found shelter in a senior citizen apartment complex. I am grateful such things exist because it is the only place where I could afford to live alone in one of the highest-cost housing markets in the country. I did this to be safe and near family during the Covid pandemic. 2020 was too uncertain to roam around the country as a solo traveler. Not knowing what was going to happen with campgrounds state-to-state was wearing on my mental health. Little did I know what was coming.
I’m new to being a senior citizen, having turned 65 in 2020. I’ve been traveling for several years having retired a couple of years early to take on writing as a new venture. Living with other seniors, where I am one of the youngest by far, is disconcerting. It’s a preview of a reality-based TV program I do not want to watch. Aging is filled with bodies that don’t do what we want them to do, vulnerabilities to things that ravage the said body, and a certain cantankerousness that comes with not wanting to accept what is happening to ourselves. It’s a potent combination that leads to depression and isolation. Put a pandemic on top and you can see where this is going.
I’m In Geriatric Hell
The ambulances come and go and people die here. This is not a medical living center —…
