While I haven’t taken my sabbatical this year because of the pandemic, I did keep the penultimate stop from the original itinerary. As we wrapped up our exploration of the United States, we were scheduled to stay in a waterfront camp site in Key West. When I cancelled all of the other reservations, I kept that one, just hoping that we could still find a way to make it work. I wasn’t sure what the pandemic would look like in August, but I hoped it might be possible to go. In my mind, I viewed it as a sort of a consolation vacation. Only a few days in length, but I learned a long time ago that a few days can feel like a lot longer. 

We vacillated on whether to go as we watched the pandemic risk levels in South Florida, thinking it might be best to stay home. Then we looked at the risk levels in Glynn County and decided that if we could stay safe here, we could probably stay safe there. We didn’t have the large RV we were going to use for the whole summer, but I found a travel trailer big enough for the family, but small enough that our SUV could pull. Things were shaping up nicely. And then Isaias showed up. Despite it being hurricane season, what were the chances, I asked myself?  So, we waited until we had a good read on the storm, realized it wouldn’t impact Key West and made a go of it.

Now, I’ve camped in travel trailers dozens of times (my in-laws’ trailer), and I’ve towed trailers of various sizes, but I’ve never towed something that large. I did a lot of research in order to be safe. Towing heavy trailers improperly can be very dangerous. My family was going to be traveling up and down Rt. 95 with me after all, and I didn’t want anything to happen to them. I knew the capacity for my vehicle to safely tow, the gross weight of the vehicle with passengers, luggage, and the tongue weight added together, the max tongue weight for the hitch and the truck, the gross weight for the trailer – let’s just say I had lots of numbers at my disposal. Our truck is prewired for a trailer brake system, so I bought one of those and installed it. In my research preparations I also familiarized myself with trailer sway and other safety issues, which led to purchasing a sway control weight distributing hitch that could be attached to the trailer. This particular hitch was a last-minute decision after watching videos about trailer sway.  It’s kind of like researching a cancer diagnosis on the internet; I don’t recommend it – it will only scare you!

All of this preparation was effective. I managed to pull the trailer more than 1300 miles, total, without incident. I used clip-on trailer mirrors, kept an eye on tire pressures and temps, and kept my speed under sixty miles per hour the entire way (trailer tires are only rated up to 65 mph; speed means heat, and heat means tire failure!). We managed to skirt southeast Florida within hours of the arrival of tropical force winds, making the turn west through the Keys just before things got dicey, all because we got up at 4:00 am to get an early start for that purpose.  (I was really trusting the NWS on their predictions and they were spot on.) I even bought a SunPass transponder and added the trailer to it, so I didn’t have to start and stop or manage lane changes on all the toll roads. Mission accomplished.

Camping in the trailer was an adventure. Getting the trailer there and back was an adventure in and of itself! Careful planning paid off and none of my fears for a blow-out, an accident, or anything else manifested themselves. I couldn’t control everything, or prepare for every possibility, yet I prepared for enough to minimize the number and variety of bad things that might have happened. More importantly, all of that effort facilitated a few wonderful days of respite in a beautiful place, and some memories I will carry long after I forget the particulars of pulling that trailer.  

I’ve heard or read people talking about not living in fear so many times over the last five months. Usually as a justification for not following some or any of the recommendations around this pandemic. I just went to a lot of trouble in order to be cautious about something potentially dangerous, and I don’t regret a bit of it. I shelled out some money to buy equipment I am now trying to sell, but it is a small amount when stacked against the lives of my children, for example. I had fears, sure, but they didn’t keep me from living. I found a way to take the proper precautions and move ahead in a way that was safe. If we couldn’t get around that storm, we wouldn’t have gone; high winds don’t mix with trailers and it would have been too dangerous. I did my research though – lots of it; I didn’t force the issue with a huge trailer that was too heavy; I didn’t rush, I went at my own speed, even when other campers passed me on the highway; I used the proper safety equipment; I watched the weather and followed recommendations; and I got us where we needed to go.  

My approach to this pandemic for Christ Church has been very similar to my approach to my camping trip. My expectation is that we will soon be worshipping in person again, although it won’t be exactly what we are used to. We’ll have to modify our expectations a bit, and we’ll take it slow. I think we’re very near our next, safe step forward. We’ll take consolation in each step, knowing that eventually we’ll get everything back. We’ve followed advice from experts, used real data (not hunches), and chosen a path of minimizing risk so that we can get where we want to go safely, even if it takes longer. It may seem like a high cost at times, and it is costing us all something to be deliberate in this process. Yet if we do it right, we won’t have any regrets. Our next steps won’t be risk-free, but they will minimize risk to the extent possible.

I thank you all, on behalf of the Vestry and the Staff, for your patience over these months. They haven’t been easy on anyone, and it’s been a double whammy that in the midst of a pandemic, our spiritual lives have been upended too. We’re pleased that pandemic indicators have been slowly improving locally and we hope the trend continues. Stay tuned as we prepare for our next steps. We’ll get there together, and we’ll get there safely.  

Tom+

O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works; that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.