Out walking the other day I came across a fantastic T2 bay window camper. A quick peek in the window showed it to be probably an original conversion rather than something restored and converted later.
I regularly see such vehicles round the city and each time I see one, it gladdens the heart.
But it got me thinking. Imagine if such campers could talk. What tales could it tell? Trips near and far. Families carried on holidays. Perhaps a wedding or two. A lifetime of individual moments going to make up the history of the van, all a story to tell.
Every scratch and dent would serve to record those moments. Each one a point in time and an event to be remembered. A dent in a bumper from when a tree was backed into on a campsite. A set of mismatched hubcaps from when one was lost on a trip. Or like my own camper and the scratch on the drivers door from when I tried to put up my current awning for the first time.
I’ve not customized my van much but such things can be the imprint of an owner on a van with layer upon layer of changes adding a richness to the story, each one a pointer to a memory. I have a sticker on the back that says “My other car is a ..” and a picture of a Tiger tank, a solid reminder of a fantastic trip in 2019.
Like the camper, we are the sum of our memories. They define us and provide the context in which we act. The good and bad go to make up our life. Every dent and scratch, physical or mental, tells our tale.
And each of those events serves not only as a memory but as a reminder in how to act in future. The camper would point to a scratch in a cupboard as a reminder of the time that too much was taken on a trip and that perhaps we need to travel a little lighter.
During lock-down, we’ve been creating the sort of memories that we’d never thought that we’d want but in time these too will serve as a reminder. That we cannot take our current status for granted and assume that it will continue into the future indefinitely.
These new memories will serve as a call to action when the coast is clear to go and create some new tales. Ones that we’ll tell for years to come and that we’ll look back on at the end of our lives as evidence of a truly rich life.
So be like that camper. While you’ve still got four wheels and a working engine, make a few memories. They’ll sustain you through a life that will have its ups and downs.
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