Life in the not-so-fast lane

 Adam and Christine Koeppel have been traveling full-time in a 36-foot RV for 12 years. The enthusiastic signature line on their emails is, “HOME IS WHERE EVER WE ARE PARKED!”

 They’ve been to every state in the contiguous 48 in their motor home and have seen most of the major sights our great country has to offer. They’re driving to Alaska next summer so they can say they’ve been to all 50 states.

 Granted, the Koeppels have an adventurous streak. They were both born in small towns in Bavaria and immigrated to the United States. Chris came with her parents in 1957, when she was in the second grade. Adam, after meeting Chris in 1970 when she was on vacation in Germany, came over to join (and marry) her. He was 29 and didn’t know a word of English, but took night classes once he arrived.

 After raising four sons in the Chicago area, they sold their home and hit the road in 1999. I married their eldest son, Eric, in 2000 and figured they’d grow weary of the vagabond life after a few years. I assumed they’d settle down near one of their sets of grandchildren. I was so wrong.

 The Koeppels have a seemingly insatiable curiosity about life and the people who inhabit it. They define “gusto.” They thrive on learning about the customs and traditions of the many corners of our diverse nation. They find something fascinating and beautiful about everyplace they’ve been. Their minds are open to just about everything, but the one thing they can’t understand is why anyone would want to stay put in one city forever.

 Moreover, Adam and Chris are intensely sociable people who have made friends in pretty much every town where their wheels have stopped for even a few days. They meet up with other peripatetic friends throughout the year at RV rallies.

 “When we started traveling we never imagined we'd meet so many people that we'd be keeping in touch with,” Chris wrote to me. And she’s a pro, embracing email, Facebook and online photo sharing sites in order to stay connected. If there’s a technology that will help them maintain the mobile lifestyle, she will master it.

 It struck me the other day how the Koeppels are so different from many retirees I’ve met. A lot of them here in Arizona are “snowbirds” who leave the frozen tundra of their hometowns in Minnesota or Iowa or wherever to hole up in a sunny climate during the winter. Oh, they stay what they consider active: They busy themselves with shuffleboard tournaments, sewing clubs, square dances and, of course, golf. Lots of golf. They ramble incessantly about what they used to do and who they used to be. It’s all about the past.

 Not the Koeppels. It seems to me two people could not be more alive or more vibrant. They look to the future. They can’t wait to go back to states where they missed something the first time around. They eagerly, excitedly plan their next trip. Though they’ve seen and done a lot more than most, they’re not condescending know-it-alls, like lot of older people I’ve met. They’re smart enough to know we’re all students, no matter how long we’ve lived. And lucky for them, they have a school bus that knows no districts or boundaries.

 When I asked what they’d learned so far in their travels, Chris’s thoughtful response ended with these wise words, too perfect for me to paraphrase:

 “We have learned to take life at a slower pace & enjoy it to the fullest, appreciate what you have & know who you are.... See the beauty around you; it is everywhere. We have learned to take things one day at a time & enjoy life to its fullest.  See & do what you want when you want. You never know when you won't be able to anymore.  We have had friends say they would like to go here & there do this or that; we just say then go do it – what’s stopping you? If you're able to go or do that now, then do so; enjoy it.  We don't go to bed being angry. We get up & try to feel good about the day, enjoy life & make the best of each day while you can.”