A few months ago I started researching the Nomad Life and was completely ignorant about what it was and how it all worked in the grand scheme of things. I believe that I started out like most newbies and searched the internet for information links, YouTube videos, articles telling me what the Nomads are, Van Life, house less, but not homeless and anything and every thing associated with this lifestyle.
After a little bit of research I started thinking how could I afford to leave my sticks and bricks rental and dive into the unknown on a fixed income? My friend kept telling me it was a good idea and not to give up to soon, but it took a bunch of research for me to even think about turning my life upside down.
Just the though of downsizing to the point of having the absolute minimum I needed to survive just seemed strange. Over the years I have accumulated lots of STUFF... stuff I need, stuff I wanted and stuff I really didn't need but got anyway. I need all my stuff I have right? Even though I have not seen or used about 25% of it for years, but I have it if I need it and will use it eventually, exactly what just about everyone thinks.
I first saw the documentary I watched was “Without Bound” and the first screen said: “Rise free from care before the dawn and seek adventures. Let the noon find thee at other lakes, and the night overtake thee everywhere at home.” (Henry David Thoreau)
That was saying to me that being free is more than saying or thinking I'm free, it's telling me I need to be free, to go and do what I really want to do. Do I really want to continue trying to capture the 1950's “American Dream”? That dream was to buy a house, have a car, raise a family, that was then when people could afford to do that. Because the pay level has not kept up with inflation, a one bedroom apartment in this area goes for over $1000 a month, not including utilities.
I though about the old dream and decided to create a new up to date “American Dream” that only I can create for myself.
From the beginning, freedom has never been FREE, many have made the ultimate sacrifice to allow us Americans to be able to decide what we want to do and be safe while we do it... Many others have paid a high price to protect us from any enemy that would have ideas to take this all away from us. Then the rest of us have stepped up to stand in the way of people that would harm our way of life.
My research will continue, my planning will continue, my acquisition of the vehicles, items, etc will continue until I feel that I have reached that point where I'm ready to hit the road.
Be sure to keep an eye out for Updates to my previous blogs as well as what for future blog sections.