Privileges

Driving my private car sixty miles on good paved roads through the mountains,  I dropped my garbage and recycling off at a dump station, picked up my mail, and sent books to the far reaches of my country.  After seeing my private doctor (paid for by insurance), I visited a hardware store. Next, I went to Costco, a wholesale membership warehouse where I had the tires checked on my private vehicle and filled the gas tank. I bought “necessities,” black and color cartridges for my privately owned printer.  I bought 8-packs of various vegetable soups and a huge pack of hamburger I would later divide and put into my private freezer.

I continued to Wal-Mart and after buying 1 ½ dozen fresh eggs, fresh fruits, and other goodies, managed to lock my keys in the car.  Very disgusted with myself, I called AAA. As I stood waiting for my private insurance intervention, I looked around.  If I turned 360 degrees, within my vision were a major shopping center with a tire, optical, and grocery store, one-hour photo, a bank, three restaurants, two car dealerships, a huge furniture store, and a McDonald’s fast food.

Standing in the fresh mountain air, I watched cart after cart filled with food and supplies being pushed through the parking lot to private vehicles like mine. And I thought, how privileged we are and rarely stop to think about it.  Five days later, a major earthquake hit Haiti, a country where they cannot even fathom our kind of privileges.  Even if you have very little, consider giving something to The Salvation Army or any organization you consider safe.  God Bless until next time.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

Sharlene Minshall - The Silver Gypsy

At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”