Outside the Box

                                               

Sometimes simple is best. Simply put; dreams really can come true. I am living proof of just that. It was brought to my attention the other day, that some people might find my way of life interesting. And as such, I might actually inspire someone to dare to dream and then dare to make those dreams a reality. Dare to live a life outside the box, to make their dreams come true. And so…I write. 
         In the Proverbial Nutshell 
Way back in 2011, my daughter and I spent 3 stellar weeks in Europe. We had traveled across the pond to discover our family heritage in Scotland and discover it we did. However, I was so taken by Ireland that my feet hadn't touched the soil back here in the States before I was planning my return. Then, in 2012, I quit my job and did just that. I Spent 7 adventurous weeks on the Emerald Isle. For part of that time, I was literally on foot traversing 100 incredible miles across the Irish countryside. An idea born, finally became a dream come true.

 In 2014, I again quit my job and traveled across the pond, this time to Scotland where I did another long-distance hike. Trekking 100 miles across the Scottish highlands. A dream, a crazy idea I had floating in my head, once again came to fruition. Then in 2016, I had an epiphany.  A wild idea of driving solo across America. So, I once again quit my job, built a bunk in the back of my truck, and hit the road. So, In the most simplest of ways

 my life evolved. I spent all of last summer in my truck camping all across this country. I drove 10,000 miles, hitting 26 states in just over three months. Those journeys, all of them, were indeed life-changing. However, after returning to my regular life, while also being enthralled by a deeply intrinsic reading of Henry David Thoreau's Walden, I began to realize that life inside the box didn’t suit me or my newfound philosophy that, less is more. It was also around that time that I began to have a vision, a dream of traveling the world, of exploring this earth and all it had to offer. But, it would take more money than all my other trips combined to do so. An idea began to form. I had just spent 3 months living in my truck. Would it be possible to do that full-time? Could I save all of that money that I felt was being wasted on an apartment that I no longer needed or wanted? In short order, I made the conscious decision to give up my

apartment and live out of my truck to save all my pennies to circumnavigate the globe. And for the record, I am not independently wealthy, nor do I have a rich relative that bank roles my trips. I literally just prefer to live a simple life with few creature comforts; putting all my money towards traveling somewhere new, somewhere exciting, somewhere beautiful. Somewhere... I’ve never been. And so the adventure began. Currently, my new minimal life choices are an ongoing sojourn.

Living in my little town in my truck is, I have to say, quite an interesting undertaking in and of itself. I’ve been in my truck now for 7 months and have saved a good chunk of change for my trip around the world. So, in the following blogs, I thought I would share with you exactly how I make this work. How I live, how I shower, where I sleep and how and where I get ready for work and all the mundane things many of us take for granted.

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 And, how my friends have helped me in my pursuit of living yet another dream. Because to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I could make this crazy life of mine work if it wasn't for them. 

I'll leave you with this thought: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Author Unknown)