Greetings from my new-to-me RV community for singles. The website for Loners on Wheels (LoW) points out that this is not a dating community but a group of 50+ year old nomadic singles who want to socialize with others. Potlucks, outings, hiking, pizza night with wanderers just like me! However, if LoW’s target audience were younger folks, the singles vibe would sizzle in a different way! Not that we old folks don’t feel desire anymore; it is not the driving force at this point.
At least not that desire! With age we understand that desire has many facets. A baby’s desire focuses on nourishment and hugs. A desire to please drives young children, while a desire to achieve settles into young adults. Some people feel a desire to create or travel, while others feel a pull towards unknown spiritual forces that is so strong it feels like a passionate desire. I know people who desire to settle in and keep the home fires burning. They, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, find all they need in their own backyard.
Not everyone agrees but in some ways it is a blessing to find what you need in one place.
Whatever the pull, we can think of these desires as the heart’s desires, a force deep within that calls to us. Our heart’s desire is the voice of our very soul. As for older folks, life’s demands often pushed our heart’s desires to the background. The call now is to reclaim and live the burning desires of the heart every single day. The challenge is to flee from distractions, give up control, and take risks, the precursors to living your heart’s desires. Also required: prying yourself loose from the layers of expectations you and others have layered over your heart.
For some of us, living our heart’s desire is easy. I walked away into retirement and now spend my days writing, quilting, volunteering, and being outdoors while living a nomadic lifestyle. The cost of my choice is living on far less money; however, my peace of mind and my ability to create things in words or fabric – all day – is more important to me now.
We can each turn 180 degrees if we want. People may talk, especially those trapped in mediocrity, because living your heart’s desire suggests a level of spontaneity and impulsivity that some people can not tolerate. So find companions! In my travels, especially here at the singles RV ranch, I meet others who speak the same language and inspire me with their courage. Sharing this experience and my desires with others has been the highlight of my first year as a full-time RVer. Sure, a bit of cupid’s desire would be welcome, but in its absence, I will take pizza night with kindred souls any time.
