~Bob Marley~
Week 13 helped to remind me of why I was doing what I was doing.........to simplify my life and find peace within myself. I took a solo trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to hang with some good people, escape the craziness of RVA for a short time, and try to find some inner peace and quietness. I found it in the form of flat water kayaking and swims in a private heated pool...........yes, believe it or not, I found true inspiration and inner peace by paddling the Chesapeake Bay. No rapids, no noise, no whitewater, or rocks, or boofs, or danger, or risk. Just calm strokes across open water with a quiet wind and beautiful sunset. I truly found peace in escaping to the bay.
I also saw some of the biggest houses I have ever seen. I think the people on the Eastern Shore are doing all right for themselves. I crashed with a couple who were wonderful and real people (thanks Ruthie and Andy!), and who had done pretty well for themselves. Hanging in a 2 million dollar home for a weekend after living on an island for 100 days is quite the change, and it gives a good perspective to a lot about this crazy society we live in.
First, we all live pretty much the same. Some do it in a box, some in a tent. Others do it in a five thousand square foot mansion on a bay. Some do it in a Yurt. Some do it in a house boat. The point is, we are all just living and trying to survive as comfortable as possible. I just happen to be the kind of person who doesn't need much to be comfortable. This isn't something that just happened after I lost my family. My old friends used to rag on me for always looking homeless. (mainly because I love wearing sweatpants. Seriously people, sweat pants are awesome!) They did this during my marriage, when I had a house, wife, kids, and a career. So I figure it didn't surprise anyone when I actually decided to become homeless. I just don't see the point in having a home if there isn't a wife or kids to share it with. I don't see the point of having much of anything if I don't have anyone to share it with. My favorite book is "Into the Wild". Christopher McCandless understood so many things that most people would never even acknowledge in their own lives. But still, after all those experiences, the last lesson he learned before dying was tragic. His final thoughts were, "Happiness isn't real unless shared." My message here is important, and it is directed at every young husband and father out there that struggles with understanding their place in this world. I know it is tough fellas. I know you feel owned and operated and that your true spirit as a man has been stripped away and the spirit of adventure that exists inside us all is gone forever. But remember this very important lesson..........the grass is always greener on the other side. Complete happiness doesn't exist when you are alone. It just doesn't. That is the one fact I am sure I have learned through this experience.
Second, comfort is all relative. Human beings have an uncanny ability to adapt to their surroundings. I am reading the "The Longest Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz. It is about a group of polish war prisoners who escape from a camp in Northern Siberia during World War II.. Over the course of a year and a half they travel through Northern Siberia during the dead of winter, cross the Mongolian Desert, climb over the Himalayas, and drop into the freedom of India. Read this book and you will never complain about anything in your life again. These people went through hell beyond anything we could ever possibly imagine. They could have given up, but they didn't. They adapted to the situation, and found the will to survive. The point is, they adapted to hell and dealt with it. If they can adapt to what they had to endure, then I can't complain about a little rain, humidity, and temps in the 90's........and the rest of us certainly shouldn't be complaining about the discomforts I hear people complain about. Remember, we have the choice to live however we choose, and I for one would prefer to do it my own way. If that means enduring some discomfort and couch surfing on nights that the heat is too bad, or the storms are raging, then I have no problem with that. It is what it is.........plus, I have really great friends. We live in a country where even the homeless have more than most in other countries. We have no reason to complain about anything.
Third, the amount of money a person has, or doesn't have, shouldn't dictate the level of respect they receive from society, and in this country, in this day and age, it does. I can prove this. In my last post I wrote about a homeless man named Lindy. Many days after work I walk from the Marina to the coffee shop along the Canal Walk. When I do I make sure to say hello to anyone passing by and look them in the eyes. They always say hello back to me. On some of those days, I meet Lindy and walk with him to the coffee shop. When I do, I find that people pass by us and look away or look down. That is the reality of Lindy's world, and it's fucked up. We as a society should be ashamed of ourselves. I for one will NEVER pass by a homeless man again without saying hello and asking him if he is ok. I am not criticizing anyone here. Before this experience, I probably would have been guilty of the exact same thing. That is why I feel grateful for what I am going through. It is teaching me lessons I need to learn. It is teaching me how to be a better person, and it is teaching me that money is pure evil. Yes, it is necessary, but so is war. That doesn't mean we have to like it.
“We all look back at some time or other and wonder why we didn't listen to our instincts. Why did we hesitate? Why did we lose our dreams?”
~Diane Griffith, Chasing Dreams in Lefkas~
First, we all live pretty much the same. Some do it in a box, some in a tent. Others do it in a five thousand square foot mansion on a bay. Some do it in a Yurt. Some do it in a house boat. The point is, we are all just living and trying to survive as comfortable as possible. I just happen to be the kind of person who doesn't need much to be comfortable. This isn't something that just happened after I lost my family. My old friends used to rag on me for always looking homeless. (mainly because I love wearing sweatpants. Seriously people, sweat pants are awesome!) They did this during my marriage, when I had a house, wife, kids, and a career. So I figure it didn't surprise anyone when I actually decided to become homeless. I just don't see the point in having a home if there isn't a wife or kids to share it with. I don't see the point of having much of anything if I don't have anyone to share it with. My favorite book is "Into the Wild". Christopher McCandless understood so many things that most people would never even acknowledge in their own lives. But still, after all those experiences, the last lesson he learned before dying was tragic. His final thoughts were, "Happiness isn't real unless shared." My message here is important, and it is directed at every young husband and father out there that struggles with understanding their place in this world. I know it is tough fellas. I know you feel owned and operated and that your true spirit as a man has been stripped away and the spirit of adventure that exists inside us all is gone forever. But remember this very important lesson..........the grass is always greener on the other side. Complete happiness doesn't exist when you are alone. It just doesn't. That is the one fact I am sure I have learned through this experience.
Second, comfort is all relative. Human beings have an uncanny ability to adapt to their surroundings. I am reading the "The Longest Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz. It is about a group of polish war prisoners who escape from a camp in Northern Siberia during World War II.. Over the course of a year and a half they travel through Northern Siberia during the dead of winter, cross the Mongolian Desert, climb over the Himalayas, and drop into the freedom of India. Read this book and you will never complain about anything in your life again. These people went through hell beyond anything we could ever possibly imagine. They could have given up, but they didn't. They adapted to the situation, and found the will to survive. The point is, they adapted to hell and dealt with it. If they can adapt to what they had to endure, then I can't complain about a little rain, humidity, and temps in the 90's........and the rest of us certainly shouldn't be complaining about the discomforts I hear people complain about. Remember, we have the choice to live however we choose, and I for one would prefer to do it my own way. If that means enduring some discomfort and couch surfing on nights that the heat is too bad, or the storms are raging, then I have no problem with that. It is what it is.........plus, I have really great friends. We live in a country where even the homeless have more than most in other countries. We have no reason to complain about anything.
Third, the amount of money a person has, or doesn't have, shouldn't dictate the level of respect they receive from society, and in this country, in this day and age, it does. I can prove this. In my last post I wrote about a homeless man named Lindy. Many days after work I walk from the Marina to the coffee shop along the Canal Walk. When I do I make sure to say hello to anyone passing by and look them in the eyes. They always say hello back to me. On some of those days, I meet Lindy and walk with him to the coffee shop. When I do, I find that people pass by us and look away or look down. That is the reality of Lindy's world, and it's fucked up. We as a society should be ashamed of ourselves. I for one will NEVER pass by a homeless man again without saying hello and asking him if he is ok. I am not criticizing anyone here. Before this experience, I probably would have been guilty of the exact same thing. That is why I feel grateful for what I am going through. It is teaching me lessons I need to learn. It is teaching me how to be a better person, and it is teaching me that money is pure evil. Yes, it is necessary, but so is war. That doesn't mean we have to like it.
“We all look back at some time or other and wonder why we didn't listen to our instincts. Why did we hesitate? Why did we lose our dreams?”
~Diane Griffith, Chasing Dreams in Lefkas~
My instincts never told me that settling down, buying a house, sitting in a cubicle, and doing the same thing again and again and again, day after day, was want I was meant to do. I have stated in previous posts that I am making this up as I go along. I have a plan, I have a job, and I have the basic foundation needed for life. But not knowing what is going to happen next is inspiring. I have considered hitting the road, and it may happen at some point. But for now, The Island and this life is where my instincts have led me, and I found a small dream that I will now make a simple reality.
Listen to your own instincts, your own heart, and go find your dreams. See ya on the rivah! PEACE
