Entry #1 - 7/10/16 - Location: SW Flight 1400 Denver>New Orleans 10:00p MT
The audacious idea & the decision:
So I may be writing this in July but the idea feels just as fresh and wild as it did when Lara and I first approached the subject months ago. I do, however, forget the first discussion…was it over a beer (where much of our planning takes place), did I even know what I was proposing at the time, what was Lara’s first reaction?
All of that will someday be well in the past, as will the van build, the trip and the resulting lifestyle but that’s where this journal/blog/etc. comes in. Hopefully anyone reading, namely Lara and I, will have some little insight into this exiting, bold and possibly crazy idea we’ve pursued.
Even though I don’t remember the very first foray into the subject, I do recall the many mental ping pong games we played, together and against a backboard known as our own skulls. There was not really one driving tope that we were fixated on, rather we covered each key aspect on and off over the course of a few month. These marital board meetings covered career, finances, exploration, personal preferences, our relationship, Rooney, family, adventure, mental state (both positive gains and if we were f’ing crazy). With each discussion I, internally, became more attached to the idea of taking a grand adventure* involving months of freedom and a chance to explore so many of those places we know exist but hadn’t even heard of yet. Externally, I felt like I tried to keep my interest level in check. In fact, I particularly remember thinking we should hold off telling friends and family because I didn’t want to get my own hopes up. When it did start to get blurted out on the phone, at family gatherings or grabbing a beer with friends, it was just that…a mini verbal explosion of potentially ill-advised giddiness. I say that because at that point the idea of extended leave from work to live out of a van exploring the good ‘ol U.S of A. was a crap shoot on a cold table with high minimum bets. What kept this crazy train rolling through was the draw of such a unique opportunity we have and highly supportive friends and family, no matter how out of our minds they thought (or should I use present tense?) we are.
I have used the phrase “unique opportunity” dozens of times now, mainly in talking about our trip with work people. I realized it was a much better introduction then, “yes, we really do think that life in a van, without a shower or crapper, is a hell of a great way to spend half a year.” Not having a penny of debt (credit cards fully paid off each month, renting a house, car payments and, more importantly, student loans having been paid off, etc.), no children, and the end of a 3 year rotation at work all are easily digestible. Thankfully all of those points are 1) valid and 2) true. To many, or maybe it’s just more difficult to convey, the draw of true adventure, exploration and a wide open empty road is a concept less understood. Even those that can appreciate it, in someone else or their own pull of adventure, the feeling may mean something completely different. Friends that we may ski, camp, run, (insert ‘adventurous’ thing) with us may be interest in a similar sabbatical but their approach, length, style and/or daily activities could be drastically different. Building a log home alone in the woods, reading a series of books on atropical beach, jet-stetting to all the world heritage sites, filling shopping bags at the fashion districts in the most visited cities in the world; the list goes on. And they are all awesome. But because of the diversity it’s really difficult to boil down your draw into an elevator speech soundbite. One of my biggest hopes is that this trip and the manifestation of it here will help to clarify that inherent feel that we have.
Back to the regularly scheduled programming… After sharing the idea with some close friends and family, mostly receiving “sweet”, “I’m jealous” or “you’re nuts but seems like you guys” we had unintentionally backed ourselves into a corner. In that corner was Lara and I, Rooney, and our good old friend: Mr. Decision. As mentioned, many of these discussions occurred over a local craft brew. There were some during a trail run, drive to/from the slopes or falling asleep bu most were held while wearing puffy jackets & gloves around a fire pit, outdoors in winter at a Golden brewery. After rounds of such back and forth, getting no closer to actually deciding something/anything, there was a particular weekend afternoon sitting at the bar at Mountain Toad where Lara asked “If we don’t pursue this, are we going to regret it for a long time?” A lengthy pause followed and we both looked at each other realizing we had kicked Mr. Decision to the curb. We even went as far as to conclude that if I got a big “hell no” from work that this chance was important enough to go for it anyway, paycheck be damned, at least for some period of time. Stealing a phrase from a great outdoor podcast, our Big Hairy Audacious Goal (B-HAG) had been made.
The only thing left to do was…well…everything, not the least of which was growing a pair to approach the subject with someone at work who could actually give the yay/nay.
*Post script: I feel odd even mentioning the interest in a grand adventure because we have already been so lucky to have traveled to and explored so many great placed around the world. Even in our own backyard we have tried to take full advantage of nooks and crannies of the Rockies. So in writing this the question that arises in my head is if this is just another grand adventure, a doorway to a more “permanent” adventure or what helps to clarify the lifestyle we’d like to pursue going forward. Clearly it feels like much more than the next fun thing. I guess time will tell.
Current Thoughtfulness:
> Holy shit, are we really going to go through with this??
> I have never heard anyone at work doing this (meaning take 6 months off, let alone go hippie, vagabond, van lifer style) and what are they going to say?
> Lara loves her job and she will likely have to quit. It means a ton to me and the trip that she’d be willing to give that up. Is that really the best idea?
> Are we going to commit to 6 months and find out this is really what we want our life to be? We have gotten pretty accustom to a speedy lifestyle and will we be able to operate on the cheap?
> Man, where should we go and what should we do?