The Rallis Tribe

Have you ever had a reunion with someone you have not yet met face to face? That is how we felt upon pulling up to explore the Inniswood Metro Gardens in Westerville, Ohio with the Rallis Tribe. We tumbled out of our respective vehicles and ran with open arms toward each other like long lost cousins separated by war or wall. How is that possible?

Well, the Rallis Tribe feels like part of our community, one might even say our tribe. They sold their home in California more than a year ago in order to live in a camper while touring the country and homeschooling their four children. Folks, this is one courageous family led by talented writers.

This meeting marked a meaningful moment for the Five Backpacks Family—we had just embarked on our journey the day before. Would we see in these new friends a forecast of our own family dynamic a year in the future? What does a group of travelers (four of whom are between the ages of five and eight, by the way) look like after being together 24/7, 365+?

Not pretending to have learned everything about these amazing people in the precious short time we shared together, here are some impressions. This is a family in which math problems and taxonomy are topics of polite conversation for children and parents alike. Learning anything new is a thrill while sharing that which you already know is a source of confidence. The Rallises are deeply connected to one another, patient, honest, and flexible. During our visit, we practiced the art of sensing when travel plans are working well for all… and when they are not. We took cues from the Rallis Tribe on how to find places in which everyone can learn, be challenged at their own speeds, and find contentment.

We also appreciated how this beautiful family has traded glamorous for real, fanciful for sensible. (Yes, I suppose to some folks, traveling around the country in 190 square feet with your four young kids is the antithesis to sensible, but the Rallis tribe has it all mapped—financially, emotionally, logistically, and any other -ally you might consider). These parents know their children’s needs inside and out. What’s more, they respect them and dynamically flow with them without sacrificing the needs of the family as a whole.

Kate and Jason are magnets of love and light—both we and the children couldn’t get enough of what they had to say.

Is finding people with whom you share values a good aspiration? Conversely, should you seek out people with whom you disagree to broaden your perspective? Will we best serve the values we hold most dear by trying to convert folks who feel differently than us? Or will we attain more momentum by voicing those opinions en masse within our tribe?

There is pleasantness on one side, and growing our understanding on the other. I think we all agree that surrounding ourselves with “our people,” so to speak, is more pleasant, but do we perhaps gain greater insight into our own values by viewing them against their counterpoint? In color theory, a shade is most vividly viewed when placed next to its “complement.”

And does the answer change depending on how tired or ambitious we are feeling on any given day?

Rallis tribe, thank you for the gift of your company. You are, indeed, spreading love and light.