Get On, Get!
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Published: 9/9/2020
By: Gordon Dawson
My Aunt, Jane May, was a wonderful woman who devoted her life to God, family, work, and travel. She died recently at the age of 88, living out a meaningful life as an Executive Secretary for the VP of The Dupont Company in New York City and finally retiring in Charlotte, NC. She became known as Aunt Jane, even in her work and community life, co-workers and friends all referred to her by this special nickname. At her funeral, I got the biggest kick out of hearing the preacher eulogize with the name Aunt Jane.
She was a tiny, petite lady with the heart and mannerism of a nun. She sang in her church choir, was devoted to her Sunday school class, and made it a mission to send birthday cards to anyone she knew,
in time for their special day. She had a calendar that would even allow for the days it might take for the card to arrive via the mail. There were about three people that still received birthday cards even after her funeral, as we collectively decided Aunt Jane would still want to celebrate their day of life.
Ultimately, Aunt Jane was devoted to my Grandmother, Lucy May, who lost her husband early in his adult years. Aunt Jane felt that taking care of her mother was the highest calling on her earthly life. People would confuse these two as being best friends rather than mother and daughter as their relationship was all about caring for each other, living with each other, and going everywhere together. The typical phrase uttered inside and outside our family circle
was “Grandmother and Aunt Jane,” as it was scarce to mention one without the other. They lived a simple life in Charlotte for as long as I’ve known them. I can remember my solo weekly visits during the summer, getting spoiled by both of them. My grandmother would take me on walks, feed me the best foods and let me watch cartoons during the day, and then Aunt Jane would take over once she returned home from work. There are too many memories to recount for this “Inspo” time, so today, I’m leaning on the one that means the most – travel.
My grandmother and Aunt Jane were world travelers, many times over. I learned they visited Europe a total of 22 times, and I can vouch for the number of slides available to prove it. I can recount the many times we would sit around a slide projector and take a chronological trip where they had been. Their trips were usually planned every other year, as they would take a year off to save money and make all the plans necessary for their next destination. These two were like kids, absorbing all the culture, eating in quaint cafes, and leaving their mark on their places.
It came as a huge surprise when my sister and I learned Aunt Jane had left each of us a little money after her death. Shockingly, no one knew she had anything outside what was in her checking account. However, she always had a gracious heart for her “favorite” niece and nephew. Many months were spent finalizing all the paperwork to receive the funds, and in this time, many conversations have spawned over just how we might use this addition to our checkbooks.
My mind circled many ideas, but mostly they just seemed frivolous. Then Catherine and I realized the absolute best way to honor my aunt’s gift and do something that would outlast any material item…spend it on travel.
Cat and I have always said we’d like to fly to California, rent a car, and ride the Coastal Highway. We even started saving all our loose coins and birthday and Christmas money to go towards this adventure. But now, we get to have fun making plans for a near-future trip to see something
neither of us has seen before.
When might this happen? Hopefully, next Spring, but we’ll have to see what happens with our country and its health concerns. This, however, is the real inspiration I’d like to share. This Labor Day weekend, we spent visiting with my parents and helping them around the house and simply enjoying each other’s company over many meals and card games. My dad asked us again the question surrounding what we plan to do with Aunt Janes gift, and we excitedly told of our travel plans and how we believed this most honored her and ultimately “thanked” her. My parents were so delighted with this idea and shared with Cat and me the many times they had traveled down the Coastal Hwy and expressed how they would love to see it one more time. My dad even broke out a thumb drive full of travel pics and relived stories from the trips. My head began swimming with ideas of how we could make our dream trip to California by renting an RV or motor home and encouraging my parents to come along for the sites.
Ironically, a report came on detailing a service called www.outdoorsy.com that allows the renting of such mobiles all over the country exactly for people and families that want to “get out” but aren’t excited to stay in hotels. This service is like Air B&B for campers. The “News Alert” came as music to my ears. I started imagining a scenario where Cat and I could take an incredible trip down the coastline, but now have it to include my parents, making it a truly once-in-a-lifetime trip for all of us. I’ll drive, and they can point out all the exciting places to stop and see along the way.
To sum everything up, no matter what your situation, time is short. Find the time to enjoy your family while still having them and “Get on, Get!”
Context
Outdoorsy RV rental
Thoughts
– What’s on your bucket list?
– Getting out doesn’t have to involve travel. What’s your idea?
– How can you incorporate family?
