You Are Living My Dream

When people find out about my current or past travels of living on the road, a lot of the time their response is, "you're living my dream!"  I am always flattered that someone would want to choose the lifestyle of traveling like I do.  Lately, I have been responding with, "you can do it too and live your OWN dream."  Most often, that is followed by, "I would if only..."

If only.

Those, "if only's" are choices. Choices we made in our life that we want to, or need to keep.  Maybe you bought a home that you feel you can't leave, or kids, or a marriage, or your job, or your pet... Those are all great reasons to stay put and not do anything different in your life (not that there is anything wrong with that life) except be envious by posts of other people living a life that is YOUR dream.  The question is, "do you really want to live your dream?"  If you do, what is preventing you from making the choices needed to pursue that dream?

The truth is, you don't have to buy that house, you don't have to have children or get married, you don't have to have a traditional 9-5 job in an office.  American culture wants you to spend your money on things to fill up the home you bought and throw away things that you are bored with.  All the while, you hope this will make you happy in your heart and fulfilled in your life.  It might give you a momentary sense of happiness but it fades and crashes fast and then has the opposite effect.  Over time it makes you feel overwhelmed and trapped.  The more space we have, the more we want to fill it with stuff.  

I know of several families with children who live on the road.  If you don't want to travel alone, you can do it with a partner.  I can't imagine traveling without my dog Max, but that is a choice and it limits what I can do.  I am ok with that.  

I own a home and rent it out when I live in the van.  There are several online companies that will help you find someone that will pay you to live in your home with all of your furnishings in place.  I come back a few months out of the year and each time I do, I get rid of things.  I sell or donate the ten years of stuff that I have collected in my garage.  A collection of emotional items (Grandparents furniture, photographs, art) to things I thought I needed.  It's a bigger rush to me to get rid of things now, as opposed to buying something new.  I put out a stack of plastic chairs that I had for parties (which I don't have anymore) out on the curb with a free sign on it.  I was so excited when someone picked it up.  It was giving them a new home instead of a landfill.  If I decide to have a party, B.Y.O.C (bring your own chair) will now be included on the invitation. I digress. 

Here's the thing.  YOU CAN live your dream...whatever that is.  It's all a matter of choices and planning.  Do the work.  Be persistent with your goals and do something to move closer to them every day.  I will leave you with a short clip of artist, Chuck Close on what he would tell his younger self.  

What I took away from this is:

1.) You can do anything

2.) Inspiration is for amateurs.  Professionals show up and do the work.

3.) Continue to do the work, even if you don't feel like it.  Eventually it will get you somewhere.

Time to live YOUR dream.

A Drive Along The Oregon Coast

One of my favorite drives in this country is along the Oregon coast. For some reason, it puts you in a good mood and for a moment, everything seems right in the world. Ok, that might be a bit dramatic but it truly is a sight to see. I've done this drive a few times and each time I do, I find something new.

I took a few days and stopped for the night in some nice camping spots along the way. A drive on the coast isn't complete without a stop at the tillamook cheese factory to taste samples and get a huge scoop of ice cream.

Max loves the beach and he gets a bit crazy when we play in the sand. Sometimes, he even lets me bury him! We had such a good time on the coast. If you're looking for a scenic drive on the ocean, Oregon has it!

Here are a few iPhone pics from our Oregon drive plus a few near the border of California in the redwoods.

Making Friends With Chipmunks

I took the most beautiful drive the other day on highway 212 in Wyoming. It was amazingly beautiful. Each turn had something new to look at. If you have the time, this by far is one of the most beautiful drives I've ever been on. At the top, you get a stunning view of bear tooth mountain.

On the way down towards Montana, I stopped at another viewpoint and the chipmunks were the friendliest I've ever encountered. They were all too eager to ham it up and be in my photograph. One looked like he took pleasure in photobombing my shot! It really was a beautiful drive and I would recommend making a trip if you've never been.

People Watching

It's the time of the year where people get out of their homes. It seems to be crowded everywhere. Since so many people are out, it's a great time to watch them. On my travels, I would spend time in cities sitting on a bench, watching people come and go. You can take a front seat to the energy of a city by being still and observing.

There are characters everywhere. At a moment in time, you are in the midst of their life. I took some candid shots along the way of people living their life. Everyday people, just like you and me.

I suppose we are also being watched in one way or another. Life...the ultimate reality show.

Take a look around you. There is inspiration everywhere. Here are some people that I captured along the way, for more click HERE

Back On The Road

The sun is out, it's a beautiful day here in Southern California. I am feeling the urge to get back on the road. This picture is from the very first day I took trailie camping for a "trial run." What a great time I had with Maggie, Karen and Heather. So, I am writing this blog inside of "trailie" in my driveway...with Maggie, of course. Some of the toughest days I had on the road were in the first 6 weeks. It's interesting being alone, not really having a schedule and exploring America. As "difficult" as it was, I miss it so much! I am ready to go again. This time, I want to explore the Southern route.

This map is what I did last summer so I am hoping to explore all of the areas I didn't see on my 120 days on the road. Also, I am going to do things a little different this time. I want to write more. I want to meet more people and listen to who they are. Besides seeing some amazing places, I especially enjoyed meeting people and learning more about their life. As I meet them, I look forward to introducing them to you on American Life Today.

For now, she sits in my driveway. It's my glamorous writing cubbie hole/guest house. However, nobody has taken me up on staying in it so far. Maggie enjoys hanging out with me inside. The only difference between now and when we are traveling (well, there are several) is there isn't anyone coming up to us asking:

What is that?
Do you sleep in it?
Is it for your dog?
Can you stand up in it?
How much does it cost?
Is there a bathroom in it?
How big does it pop up to?
Does it have air conditioning?
Where do you get one?
What's it called?
Just you and your dog?

Seriously....look at it. Of course I am friendly and happy to answer (most of the time), but it's just a hard tent in a sense...a really cool one at that! :) So, we are beginning our plans for the next outing. Perhaps I will be in a town near you. If I am...remember these answers:

It's a teardrop trailer
Yes
Yes
Depends on who's standing
Lots
Define "bathroom"
What you see is what you get
2 Doors that open
Where they make 'em
Trailie!
Yes...and misc. items

Anything I'm missing?

How it Began

How did I make the decision to quit my job and travel the country? It wasn’t easy. It took several months to put my life dream into a reality, but I did it. You know what? You can do it as well!

I was working in a job for the past 7 years that was challenging at first, but since the company merged with another, it just wasn’t the same anymore. It got too political, wasn’t creative, and my interest in selling the product was non-existent. However, the flexibility and compensation were hard to abandon.

It all started at the beginning of the year. I continued to go through the motions of work, but my body had something else in mind. I went for a normal routine doctor visit to find that I had a softball size tumor in my uterus that would continue to grow if I didn’t do something about it.

In February, I had a myomectomy.

I spent a month lying on my back with nothing to do but think. That’s exactly what I did. I thought about my life. Where I’ve been, where I want to go, what I want to do. I am so thankful that this happened to me because otherwise, I would have just continued the day in, day out grind. Most people don’t have the opportunity to take the time to think about their life and what’s really important. In a way, the fibroid tumor was the best thing that happened to me. I was able to start a new life.

I quit my job.

I packed all of the things I thought I would need and grabbed my dog, Maggie for an adventure of a lifetime. We embarked on a journey across the USA in my little 4x9 teardrop trailer. Little did I know how much I would learn about myself. Not always easy. In fact, some things were a little surprising to me. Pushing my limitations. Every night wasn’t a, “yay, campfire time” experience, although I did have those moments.

I didn’t have a plan. There were a few places I wanted to go and a few people I wanted to see. Other than that, it was my planned dream of not planning. I would wake up, look at a map and decide in the morning where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. This is not a “normal” life, but what is “normal” now and days?

Today is day 3 of being home on a “pit stop.” I am still recovering from being on the road for 117 days. I think it’s because I have a hard time relaxing, among other reasons. In the next few days, I will share with you some of my thoughts and findings of being on the road.

I hope that through my experience, you may realize your own dream. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. However, because I made the decision, it gave me an experience I may not have ever realized in my life. I look forward to the next chapter and sharing it with you.