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Moving into a vehicle typically requires serious “trimming” of our belongings. Although it seems rather straight-forward, it is anything but, and the emotional struggle of the task is pretty much universal. But why is downsizing so hard? And why does it make us feel so.... vulnerable and uncomfortable? Here are 10 reasons it might hurt … Continue reading Downsizing for Vanlife: Naked & Afraid
I woke up this morning feeling like I had an actual hangover. Is that a thing? A phantom hangover from merely fighting the idea of a drink? Given my mental fogginess, I gave myself permission to process less today. Today, I didn’t need to understand anything in particular. I declared it “sensory day” - just … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 26
Rainy, cold days are an obvious time to anything (inside my van) I have been procrastinating. My obvious task today was dealing with my garbage. Yesterday, I hid it behind my friend’s shower tent; a typical “out of sight, out of mind” strategy. But like Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tell-tale Heart”, I could hear it over … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 19
My Trip into the Rabbit Hole. The day began ordinarily enough, with a sunrise walk with Pippa. We both notice the new burro poop-piles around camp; Pippa does lots of sniffing but I’m content to just look. Although Pippa and I are becoming terribly alike in many ways (my friend now refers to either of … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 17
A completely routine sort of day here in the desert. Wake. Breakfast. 5 km walk. Write. Nap. Another 5 km walk. Town. Smoothie Treat. Dog Park. Recovery Meeting. Home. Write. So, I’m going to write about “Freedom” instead of those things. Because I’ve been thinking about it all day. I recently asked a great bunch … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 8
Road Trip To Hot Springs! My friend suggested we a little road trip to Tonopah (about an hour from Quartzsite) to visit Eldorado Hot Springs (also called Desert Pete’s) After a week romping about it desert dust, how could I say no to that? We left the van here and took Pip’s kennel and a blanket … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 7
I woke up at sunrise and made a pot of coffee in slow motion. Sat in the sun and sipped, lazy as a hot desert day. The temperatures here in Quartzite are in the 80’s right now, so it becomes quite hot quickly. I start with two layers on waking and am naked by nine. I … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 4
I woke up feeling disappointed and tight-chested about needing to move camp; mostly upset with myself for getting caught up in my excited -insistence on needing to be here, to the exclusion of the more practical issues, like camping regulations. Man, I hate waking up in this state and oh, do I hate making “mistakes”. … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 3
Welcome to my February Writing Project: 28 Posts about van life in 28 Days! My plan is to write a short post each day throughout February; a celebration of the ordinary and extraordinary moments of “life on the road” as a woman, in a minivan, with a dog. My hope is to give you a … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: 28 Days with Kit & Pippa
Despite travelling 30,000 kilometres through two countries; seeing breath-taking sites and meeting fascinating people, the biggest lesson I may have learned in 2017 didn’t come from being on the road; it came from an earache. I’d like to tell you how the earache began while pelted by icy glacier water as I bathed in … Continue reading Lessons from a Wise Right Ear