Minimalism
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Everything Changes So Quickly
Just a few days ago I was facing houselessness. I was considering moving into my truck camper full-time, and then I woke up one bright sunny morning and everything had changed.
I had grown used to the feeling of dread I had waking up every morning and knowing I was at the end of my ten year journey with my house. I was grieving and letting go. I feared never having a home again; being a vagabond for the rest of my life. Although in part, it appealed to me to be so footloose and fancy free, the Taurus in me was really rebelling. There was a fight between the part of me that wanted to roam, and the part of me that needed roots. And it was that one bright, sunny morning in my home in Arizona that the two parts of me came to a compromise.
My truck camper had served me well for three years. I loved it! It had been my home, away from home. But it was time to let it go. Instead of letting my house go, I would let my house on wheels go and I would go back to Red Raven, my mini van, for my adventures, at least for now. I would have both roots and wings.There was an excitement about rebuilding Red Raven as my camper. She was so much sleeker, lighter and so much better on gas. She wasn’t the tiny home that my camper was. She didn’t have a kitchen and a bathroom, a queen bed, and a dinette. But she would have a bed and a makeshift kitchen.
Rather than driving off into the abyss, not knowing where I was going or where I would end up, which I have to admit, is a bit exciting, I would be renting out the upstairs of my home and moving into my downstairs space. This would allow me to still have a home base and be able to journey in the van.My Eat, Pray, Roam journey would continue as I capture the journey of eating a plant based diet, being on a spiritual path, and roaming to interesting places.
Having roots and wings really appeals to me. This is the best of both worlds I have the stability of my home and the freedom of roaming in Red Raven.
Let the journey begin!
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Today it Became Real
As my world was crumbling down around me and I knew I had to make a change, I began to grieve the losses. I couldn’t hold on any longer to what was falling apart. I had to face the reality unfolding in front of me and let go of trying to breathe life into something that was dying.
The old life was beginning to fall away and I had to let it go. I had to begin putting my eyes on the future possibilities; what wanted to come into being.
You see, I believe life has a plan for us, but we don’t always know the plan. We fear letting go of the old because it is what was safe and familiar. We built our comfort zone around the old. Letting go of “what was” means stepping out into the abyss, not knowing what is next. Although I was beginning to see a rough outline, I still didn’t know how it was all going to unfold.
Today, was the day it became real that I was going to be leaving my home of ten years. I called the key people involved in the sale of the house, and talked to the two women who made me caretaker of the Grandmother drum sitting in my music studio. We would be having our last drum circle on the Spring Equinox. What a way to say goodbye!
The spring is always a powerful energy for me. There is a lot of momentum. Ideas and inspiration begin to sprout forth and what no longer serves, the me that is moving forward, is left behind. It is bittersweet.
Co-mingling with the excitement of the journey ahead, there was a fear that I would never be able to afford a home again, because prices were rising so fast, beyond so many people’s control. So many people are choosing van life, or RV life because they don’t want to pay the money required to live in a home. There is a new culture of houseless people. We invest in wheel estate. We live tiny. Minimalistic. It is a life some people say they would never trade for a sticks and bricks house again.
I look at my beloved cat Nala curled up napping on my bed and a great sadness comes over me. She is really my neighbors cat, but he leaves for work during the week and doesn’t come home until the weekends. He asked me to look after her and I did gladly. She adopted me and hardly ever went to my neighbors home when he was there anymore. I didn’t know what would become of her. I couldn’t take her with me. She would be miserable. Here, she had two homes that were her domain and she loves being outdoors. I texted my neighbor today as well, and told him the news. My heart aches for Nala.
There is a lot to grieve. And so I imagine, like times before, the grief would dance in the same place as the joy and excitement of a new adventure. Sometimes I would relish in the passion of a new creation and other times I would cry deep, soulful, tears for what I was leaving behind.
I have crossed the threshold, the point of no return. The choice has been made and spoken aloud. My world will never be the same.
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On The Road Again “Flying Solo Season Two”
I have had several people ask me if I would be blogging about my travels again this summer. The answer is YES! Why not?Some of you who have followed my travels last summer told me you were traveling vicariously through me. How awesome is that? I hadn’t realized my mystical minivan ventures would be so inspiring for others.
This summer won’t be as long of an adventure as I have some commitments back home in Arizona that I need to be there for, but I am outfitting the minivan now and setting out on the 11th of July towards the Northwest.I learned a lot last year from my minivan camping experiences and am making a few adjustments this year. I work from home or in the case of traveling, I work from the van, and so having what I need to manage my clients and Internet is important.
Last year I had my WiFi unit and an expensive Verizon Data account. I will activate this again. However the primary issue I had with working on the road was power. I didn’t want to stay in expensive RV parks with power. Can you see my little minivan camper wedged in between huge Motor-homes and trailers? Mini ME would get lost in the crowd. I preferred being in more places of solitude. I preferred to be parked between two trees.
Business on the road requires I keep my phone, laptop and WiFi unit charged. There was some stress with my batteries being drained before my work day was over and needing to run to the coffee house between clients to recharge.
This year I have acquired an Aeiusny Portable Power Station. It is a small unit that will charge my phone, laptop and WiFi unit multiple times. I can recharge my Power Station via AC wall outlets or 12V car cigarette lighter or to recharge it under the sun with solar panel. I did not buy the solar panel this year. But it is a great idea for the future.
Now I am powered up and ready to go for the long haul.
Last year I had way too much stuff! I learned about minimalism on the road. I only really needed about half of what I brought with me and some of the things I brought were cumbersome and space consuming.
My portable kitchen was one item I could do without. It was great to have and I loved it, but it took up too much space in my van while traveling. Since I had my cook-stove and Igloo 12V fridge in the back of my van, I only really needed a table to prepare food on.
So I found this handy little compact table that I can use both indoors and outdoors. It folds quite small and can be stored under my bed, however I realized it fits inside my van right next to my bed perfectly and a great place to eat, put my tea cup and laptop while working. It has great storage space underneath as well, so no wasted space.The table has leg adjustments so can be short or tall. What an exciting find and will work perfectly for my needs.
Last year I traveled with a roof rack for all the extras. Near the end of my journey the key busted off in the lock and I had a miserable time dealing with it. This year I decided to forgo the roof rack and all the extras. Who needs them.I won’t be taking a canopy but have two simple little tarps that fold up really small (about the size of a large pair of socks.) These can be extended from the back hatch of my van for extra shade and used as a floor mat for outdoors.
Another thing I learned last year, was I only needed half the clothes. I had a large bag of clothing I never used, stuff under my bed at the far back. That space is better used for something else. One bag of clothes and a few hanging items will be enough.
My porta-potty is coming. I can’t say enough for that little pot. It will store perfectly under my new table and great for those middle of the night moments where I really don’t want to put on my shoes and trek to the loo, if there is one. Us girls must have our luxuries.
This year will be both simpler, more minimalistic and a shorter journey. I’m getting excited to be back on the road again.
If you would like to come along for the ride, I invite you to join me. If you haven’t yet signed up for my newsletter you can do so here….
Happy Trails!
Kaleah
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Integration and Minimalism
I’m now back at my home in Arizona but instead of taking the whole house back, I moved into the downstairs and put together a make shift kitchen, using my outdoor kitchen, a two burner hot plate and small refrigerator. I’m slowly organizing and integrating back to living in a house.
I’ve run into several people in Sedona who have been following my blog and I say “thank you! Thank you for flying with me! I am honored! For some my journey was a reminder of their own previous van ventures, and others lived vicariously through my travels.
Since I’ve been back I’ve felt a restlessness, a sense that I have a purpose to fulfill and I need to fully embrace this purpose. I’m not ready to pack up the van again and head out. Not yet. We are now entering October, which is the nicest month of the year, here in Arizona. So I want to stay here and embrace the cooler weather while I delve directly into the restlessness within me.
I’ve begun weekly podcasting again at Pandoras-Box-Radio.com and also posting the audio’s and video’s on Youtube.
It feels like I am living more to be of service to others than to find new ways to make myself happy. My happiness comes in knowing I am being of service.
My life is not about collecting things, or distracting myself with all the usual distractions any longer. I’m more in the “clearing” phase of my life not the accumulation phase. It’s time to let things go. It is time to live more simply; more minimalistic.Since I moved the majority of my personal belongings to my downstairs space, prior to leaving on my journey, I have the opportunity to begin clearing a lot of things out that I no longer want or need. Going through my desk drawers I found Windows 7, Windows XP and old software that is no longer valid. I threw out all my old CD burning gear as I no longer burn CD’s, nor do I have the computer with a CD burner. Some things we need to clear out simply because they become obsolete, and in today’s world this happens fast.
Last January after returning from Costa Rica, I let go of seven garbage bags of clothing and other items. I was already moving in this direction. This past week I released another five or so boxes.
It feels like one of the biggest realizations that came out of my trip is that I need to embrace minimalism, live simply and de-clutter all my spaces. I need to get very clear about what serves me and what doesn’t. Life is not about stuff! It is not about possessions. It is about living a quality life. What is quality? I’m still working this out. I’m still finding my way.
The one thing I can tell you is that Van Life was so simple in so many ways. I only had a 4 x 9 space to be concerned with. Of course I had very few conveniences that I had at home. But this was part of the simplicity.In the past, if there was an empty space in my life, or my house, I would fill it with something. Now I am learning to appreciate the empty spaces and trying to create a whole lot more of it. It is a slow process.
The lessons I have learned on the road are many and I will continue to write about them. For now I can tell you, I am not the same. This journey has changed me in a way I can’t yet explain. It has taken me so deep within my own Self-ness and showed me things I may not have seen otherwise. I have a stronger relationship with myself, and a deeper spiritual connection.
I have a feeling that something more is about to emerge; a deeper sense of purpose, a new mission, and a freedom that can only come when we are able to identify our self imposed prisons and release ourselves.
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Lake Tahoe and More….
I left the smokey Mount Shasta area and headed to Lake Tahoe. It was only about four hours of driving.Of course, it was beautiful! I have been blessed to visit so many beautiful areas. However, I arrived the week prior to Labor Day and it was really crowded. Since I arrived right before my work week, I didn’t have a lot of time to explore, but did find a few hours to hike around Emerald Bay and take some photos.
One of the highlights of Tahoe was meeting a beautiful fellow solo traveler who was camped next to me. She offered me her extra bag of ice as she didn’t need it and what began as a kind and neighborly gesture turned into an amazing conversation that kept us both engaged for hours. The sun went down and it turned dark, yet we were standing there in the dark talking. By the time our night ended we knew so much about each other and our lives.
Beverly worked in an Orphanage in Haiti and was on leave for a few months for some R & R. Like me she was traveling around in her vehicle but only for a few weeks. We exchanged stories of our travels and it was evident we both had a passion for the Spiritual, “the One” who guides us in our 
lives.On Thursday, prior to Labor Day, I pulled out of Tahoe, searching for a quiet place to ride out the busy weekend. Some might say “is this even possible?” But, I trust in “the one” who guides my footsteps and only about an hour away, outside a little town called Markleeville, I found my place.
My Intention was to have a week of silence and solitude. I took a week off work and went into an area that was out of Cell range and just unplugged. It was heavenly.
