What Are We Waiting For?

Through a Facebook post this weekend, we learned of the passing of a very dear friend 😢

Kenneth F. Mott was our beloved Political Science professor. And somehow (fortunately), we became dear friends. Ken was my faculty advisor and encouraged me to seek departmental honors. He walked me through the LSATs. And he understood my decision not to apply to law school.

Ken adored Geoff. The two of them would often debate politics for hours on end. At the time, they rooted for opposite parties, but that was a time when you could agree to disagree and still remain friends.

Our fondest memory of Ken and his wife, Lovette, was going to the stream. The stream provided a great escape from the Gettysburg College campus. We were free to be ourselves without all the bravado of impressing fellow co-eds. 

One infamous weekend we volunteered to bring dinner. We remembered the steak, the potatoes, the aluminum foil. We even brought matches to start a fire and silverware. However, we failed to bring the plates 😬 You'd think a college professor and his lawyer wife would roll their eyes at our forgetfulness. Instead... they laughed and helped us find flat rocks to serve as stoneware. Geoff and I still fondly remember this precious experience.

Ken was Geoff's best man and Lovette my matron of honor. They were there  when we began our life together. 

So what does this have to do with RVing?

Ken's untimely death reminds us that we are mortal. We do not know what tomorrow brings. We can plan, plot and scheme. We can scrimp, save, and wait. But at what point do we take that step of faith, throw caution to the wind, and embrace life?

To be honest... I still question the RV purchase. After all, the cost was equal to our New York City coop in 1984 😮 We really don't know how to care for a diesel home. We still need to winterize and store it (and the dolly). And we have SO much to learn about travel planning.

But if we wait until we have all the answers... until we cross all the T's and dot all the Is ... until we figure out life ... we will never move forward. We will deny our dreams without realizing it. We will slowly wither away.

We want more than that.

Ken taught us to want more than that. 

He taught us to seize the moment. To ignore the naysayers and move toward the life we desire. He taught us to work hard and play hard. To push ourselves beyond what we think is feasible. To do our best. And then, accept that our best is good enough.

So cheers to you, Ken Mott 💙

We, both of us, would not be here if it weren't for you. And we are forever grateful for your commitment to your students. Your influence extended far beyond the classroom. You were there when we began our our life's journey ... and we will carry your spirit with us as we embark on this next chapter of life.