Don't Fear the New Year

If one word can define the state of the world at the onset of 2008, it's this: Yikes!

It almost seems absurd to even consider buying a new house, car, or an RV. After all, we seem to be on the cusp of all sorts of political and economic terrors. As the campaign season unrolls, we'll certainly be hit with many a "fact" that proves we're on the verge of a) recession, b) an energy crisis, or c) total extinction.

Forgive my eternal optimism, but I have much higher expectations of a country that has gone through 2 world wars, a depression, and Al Franken. Negativity has a way of spreading like a disease, and our media seems perfectly happy to act as the carrier.

We are not on the verge of economic collapse. Probably not even a mild recession. There are people a lot smarter than me who can expalin why, go visit their blog if you need more detail. My own economic theory consists of this: people will not go backward. Given a problem, they'll overcome it and improve their lives. We have this uncanny desire to be happy and will usually find a way to achieve it.

Which brings me to the RV industry. The buzzword in this business is "gas prices." Yes, gas is higher than it's ever been and will likely go higher. What does this mean to those of us who enjoy the nomadic lifestyle? Pretty much the same as it does when gas hit $1 a gallon, then $2. The same is it will when it hits $10 a gallon. We're not about to build barns and fill them with horses, so we'll learn to adapt. We'll budget. By the way, anyone who thinks traveling by horse is cheaper has never owned a horse.

Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to plow forward with our dreams and desires, uncertainty hanging over our heads like an ugly campaign season. But it's what we've been doing for the last 40 generations. No one has ever lived the perfect, care-free life. Yet we're living a much happier and healthier lifestyle than ever before. That's because our ancestors didn't give up hope. Neither can we.

Don't get me wrong, don't go spending your money like a grandmother in December. But don't give up the things you love, either. RVing has been around for a long time (covered wagons count). I have faith that it will be around for a long, long time.

Happy (and I do mean Happy) New Year.