We have been on the Florida panhandle for about twelve days now. This area is nicknamed, “The Forgotten Coast” because it is not as popular as the other coastlines of Florida. And it is true. It feels a bit like a land lost in time. There are not many crowds, no high rise condos, and the beachfront is not taken over by multimillion dollar mansions. In fact, as you travel about, you can still see the native growth that once lined all the coastlines in this area. There are a few restaurants but not anything that will find its way into a Michelin guide anytime soon. And you won’t find a fancy grocery store or a Walmart anywhere close. But what it does have is amazing beaches, places you can still get away from it all, and some fun tourist sights that are low key and fun to explore.

But that is for another post - on another day. What has been on my mind these past few days is the nature of community. And what it is like to find community when you live on the road full time. And the wonderful beauty of what I am starting to think of as “temporal community”.

I landed on the word temporal after thinking about it for a few weeks as “temporary” community. But there was something about temporary that didn’t sit well with me. It had a sense of not being real community because of its impermanence. Where as temporal seemed to fit better. It is community that is related to a certain time. I love the definition of “enduring for a time only”. The word enduring gave it depth and substance -something that temporary could not lend.

So temporal community - what is this. As a traveler you soon learn that community is to be found just about anywhere. And I think of it as anytime you make a connection with another being on this planet that feels relational. It might include some conversation. It might include a shared hardship. It might be with something less than human such as the birds or the trees. But it always reminds you that you are part of a greater whole. A member of the larger community of all living beings on this planet. It helps you feel connected and keeps away at the loneliness that can seep in when you are traveling about - far from family and friends.

This has taken many shapes over the course of our travels. We have found it in the breakfast rooms of the many B&B’s and inns that we have stayed over the years. Something just happens when you gather with the same group of people for a meal over the course of a few days. This has resulted in many of my best memories. I have a written recipe for strawberry jam that was given to me after a conversation around a breakfast table in Bath, England. I have a road map that I cherish that was given to us by a man named Bill in Ireland when he discovered we had arrived the night before with no map in hand. He quickly went out to his car and brought us his road atlas with his name, phone number and address written inside in case we found ourselves in trouble as we traveled about Ireland. We have also found this on long plane rides when you are grouped with the same people for hours in a tight space. One particular flight comes to mind when we flew from Budapest to Ontario on a plane with one of its fuel tanks not working. Instead of unloading us all and putting us on other flights, they decided to fly and land at multiple airports to refuel. This included a stop in Newfoundland - a place I hope to venture back to one day. I wouldn’t choose the 20+ hour flight again but it was fun getting to know our fellow passengers as we traveled slowly back across the world.

Campgrounds and RV lots also invite this same type of temporal community. You get to know your neighbors - even if they are just staying for the night. Being in this close proximity together just makes it happen. There is something very freeing about sitting outside in your pajamas and drinking your cup of tea while your neighbor comes around to unhook their water and sewer lines. How could you not get to talking?

For these past twelve days we have been fortunate to have some neighbors that have been here as long as we have. There is a couple on one side of us from Michigan. Last weekend we visited a nature preserve in the area and as we walked out to the viewing platform, at the end of the nature trail, we ran into them. They were talking to another couple there and they introduced us to the couple as their neighbors. When the woman looked confused and said I thought you lived in an RV we all laughed. Yep, we all live in our RV’s, and we happen to be neighbors right now. Temporal community at its finest.

We have also gotten to know another set of neighbors from Virginia. They travel part time and are the cutest couple we have ever seen. I imagine they are in their seventies and they are SO active. They have all the gear from kayaks to mountain bikes. And everyday they head out on a new adventure and then share with us all about it. When we were discussing our kayaks the other day we laughed about how hard it is to get in and out of them as you get older. They have given us all sorts of tips about where to go and what to do. And they are a joy to watch as they laugh and tease each other. As much in love as they must have been years ago. I hope to be like them as I age. Choosing to live each day with gusto and a sense of humor.

But not all encounters are with humans. At the same nature preserve last weekend Jason happened upon a cat that was eager for some attention. It had a cute bell around its neck so it would not eat the animals on the preserve and it was determined to say hello. We visited for a bit and then it went and laid down in the sun - obviously very much at home. Later that day we watched a pair of nesting Ospreys though a looking glass as they tidied their home and prepared for the arrival of new baby Ospreys. Lately the wind has also been a constant visitor. And I can’t help but feel that we are in community with her as well.

Travel is helping me to stretch my definition of community to include a much larger breadth of beings. It is also helping me to be more open to those who do not hold the same values or political opinions as I do. Having been in the south now for a number of weeks we have encountered many folks with different perspectives from our own. I am learning what it looks like to have more compassion and understanding here. To not be so quick to close the door on someone if we don’t value the same things. Looking instead for the places where we can share something even if it is just small - a conversation over the laundry, an agreement that the brewery we are visiting is awesome, enjoying some small talk about our shared love of our dogs.

Our existence in this world is also temporal. It is just for a time. Travel - by air, by train, by foot or by trailer - is helping me to make this temporal time as communal as possible.