Ode to Aluminum

Most of our trailer is painted white, but it does have some exposed aluminum inside and out. These shiny bits of aluminum are meant to add an element of cachet. Airstream's Bambi, the Lil Loafer's upscale cousin, takes Aluminum trailer cachet to it's highest level. I admire Airstreams from a distance. But I am glad I don't have to polish them. The thing about aluminum, like some other metals, is it tarnishes. Corrodes. Not at the rate of other metals--in fact, it is known as corrosion resistant. But even aluminum corrodes a little. Mostly it turns dull, and has either some dark spots or some white cloudy spots. Jon, my partner in crime and ship's captain of The Happy Camper, says it is pointless to polish the aluminum because it will just get dull again.

It's the way of nearly everything I guess. Things fall apart. All things in nature are made to break down. Even our own cells and chemicals work against us and we start to rust from the inside out. I am showing some signs of tarnishing. Spots on the backs of my hands. Wrinkles. I used to really resent this concept, the fact of mortality, the tendency of order to break down by increments into disorder. The first time I got really mad about it was when my father died from cancer. I was mad for a long time. Decades. Then finally, I realized that my being mad made not one bit of difference. Things went right on breaking down, corroding, dying, transforming whether I liked it or not. So instead of fighting the inevitable I decided I might as well lean into it.

Here's what it means in terms of The Happy Camper. I polish the aluminum, a little bit at the time whenever I feel like it. I don't feel compelled to take it to a high shine. I just buff it up a bit. Most recently I have focussed my attention on the aluminum walls in the galley and I like the results. I can see myself multiplied in the squares of the aluminum backsplash behind the Holiday stove. I know someday, I will have to do it all over again. As far as what it means for Life--well, to quote my beloved mother, god rest her soul, "You do the best you can with what you got."