Empty feeling - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Mmalenski · RV-Dreams Family Member

Empty feeling

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

Change takes courage, it's not familiar, that is probably where the empty feeling comes in. Keep pushing forward, soon enough you will begin to appreciate your decision, G

jjm219 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I am not at the point yet of selling my home. We are planning on 4 more years of working and then liquidating everything. I worry about the same thing. My mother's house was where my family gathered until she passed away and now I'm worried that if I don't have a house for my kids and future grandkids they won't have a home base. It is scary to give up a home. I'm hoping to make it to the rally in September. It depends on my hubby's work schedule. That is one topic I'm really interested in though. Other than that I am really looking forward to the future.

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

Your empty feeling may be because living in a condo was never on your wish list, the goal was an RV and full timing. Did you ever consider buying and RV and living in that till you retire? That would be a step toward your goal and probably cheaper than renting a condo.
Just a thought.

karen948 · RV-Dreams Family Member

We sold our home a year ago, moved into an apartment which is awful, and now that our last son has moved out decided to move full time into the RV. My husband has 2-3 more years to go until retirement and our empty feeling comes from the wait. We have short timers attitude and want the freedom now. We keep focusing on the end goal and taking the baby steps to get there, but the last year has been a tough one. It is emotional to give up your home and possessions, so I focus on our dream, and lots of mini trips in the meantime.

Good luck to you,

Karen

rclvnv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Interesting topic. We have three daughters, Two are married with children, the youngest (37) isn't married,has no children,and is a career US State Dept. official,who has opted for world travel and all the good and bad that entails. I found it interesting that she felt sad about us selling the house,because even though she owns her own in Metro DC, she felt ours represented "home" to her. As a step in the plan toward going on the road, we bought our 5th wheel first. Then we put the house on the market,and it sold very quickly. We are now in a highly stressed state toward a 6/10 closing, but we did have the advantage of having the rig to move into. That helps us focus on the goal.We'll take a long trip over the summer, and come back to work from Sept-June. Our home is the rig, and our base is the campground,not very far from where the house is. We'll go away during the year just like we always have, and if all goes well,hit the road for good. But yes, there was a certain "empty" feeling, just briefly.

Phanntom · RV-Dreams Community Member

Like you I was on a plan...sell the house, sell the business, all of which I'd figured 2 yrs to accomplish, especially in the housing market at the time...the house sold in 1 day. That surely wasn't a part of the plan. I moved into an extended stay hotel with the idea of taking a year to prepare transfer of ownership of the business. I did love the house, the neighbood and my neighbors and yes...I did grapple with that hollow feeling, but knew I'd done the right thing. Empty houses, don't age well, and because that house was "me", I wouldn't have felt any better renting it.

I managed to assauge the feeling by buying a much smaller house as a rental, that will always be there for me, if I ever decide to settle into a stick house again. I have no personal attachment to it, as I've never lived in it...in fact, I've had it two years now, and I haven't even seen it. It was a brand new house and I paid cash for it, so I wouldn't have to worry about ending upside down with a mortgage. A management company handles it, and the rent is deposited into my Paypal account the 10th of each month.

Our homes seem to become our identity so when we sell them, we "feel" as though we're losing our indentity. When I was living in the hotel, I felt as though I were homeless. Since I bought the other place...I've never had that feeling again...even though, I have no intention of ever living in it. Now, I just view it as a business decision I made and am perfectly happy with.

DorisandDave · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm with Luvglass. We lived in our RV after selling the house and the almost year it took to get on the road. It felt like home immediately and our only concern was how slow the time would go until we could hit the road. Another plus of living in the RV almost a year before we hit the road is we got most of the kinks worked out.
Good luck on the rest of your timeline and hitting the road will be here before you know it!

Speedhitch · RV-Dreams Family Member

Fred...as usual has the right idea...that is the advice he gave us and we followed it. Never have been sorry we did. Good luck to you maybe we will meet...

Somewhere in Time

MaryBee · RV-Dreams Family Member

I am in sorta the same boat right now except I am living in my RV out in the yard of our home
while my son and his family are living in my house....it is a WEIRD feeling to say none the least
and most days I feel fine and feel that the RV is home now but I do have a few days when I
go into my S&B house and the feeling over comes me and I feel a bit sad.

I don't know exactly why I have the sad feeling, and yes, I ask myself everyday if we are
doing the right thing or just going thru a mid-life crisis!

But no matter my feelings of the day...I move on with our plan as we have our first Workamping
jobs starting on May 10th and that gives me some strength of purpose and something to look forward to.

Our business of 25 years will be closing up in the next few weeks and the big Estate sale will be in a few
weeks also, god only knows how I am going to feel once I get thru all of that...

Good luck...yes I think your feelings are justified and I agree that maybe you should get your RV and
start living in it instead of the condo....so by the time you get on the road it should feel like home!

Laura and Bunk · RV-Dreams Family Member

Our "empty feeling" was before we moved into the RV. The house was emptying out and we got rid of so much. We finally went on the road the first of the year and have felt "full" ever since. Do not miss the S&B at all. But, we did have kids to take a lot of the special things from our family history. I think that helped, knowing someone is taking care of my Moms crystal and teapot collection, ect.

Hang in there, it will get better.