New Routines and Thinking Outside the Home Office

Originally I was going to blog from here, but the rocks were too uncomfortable and I was worried about having my back to my bike in the dark. 

I can't believe it is Friday already!  This has been a very fast, and productive week.  I am on day 5 of the 15 Days to Freedom Blog Challenge; and on Day 14 of The Magic (day 13 was so incredibly awesome). I haven't actually watched the video for day 5 of the blog challenge but I am blogging anyway since I have only blogged once since beginning the series.

Then I sat down at a picnic table and was going to blog from here, but my (new) computer was giving me problems so I just relaxed for a bit instead.   

I have gotten so much out of it so far.  Day two, setting MIA's (most important actions) really kicked me into high gear and although I have been watching the videos daily and doing the actions (mostly), I just haven't gotten around to blogging--which was the original reason for doing the challenge and thus I am writing a blog today before doing the challenge. Even though I haven't been blogging daily I am taking two blog posts in a week as a win!

There is just too much to write about that has occurred in the the last four days so I will do a quick bullet list:

• Day 1 I decided that I would do my walking/biking in the mornings rather than in the evenings, but that has proved to be harder to implement than anticipated.  I work from home currently, but the goal is to be working from an RV in remote areas within the next year, so the new goal is to "practice" at being outside of a traditional home office and take my computer with me on my walk or bike ride and write overlooking the ocean (since that is where I go when I do my walks/rides). It now seems silly that I have imprisoned myself in my home office for the past nine years. 

• Day 2 I did choose my MIA to complete during the 15 day challenge--eek and I only have 7 days left to complete it.  It is to decide on a new program/promo piece for my day job, write it and get it sent out (which includes finding people to send it to). Didn't seem like a lofty goal when I set it--ha!

• Day 3 I downloaded Headspace (a guided meditation app) the first day - does it still count for today's challenge? I am loving it by the way.  I have mixed feelings about ALL my stuff being online--I once lost access to my financials because the program I was using stopped being free.  I have used Dropbox and will check out Asana today for project management because the truth is, my notes are spread throughout too many places. 

• Day 4 - I have done a great job at not getting into the distractions because I have been so busy. Outside of that I am interested in the app that lets me schedule out the email.  I like when apps let me schedule posts and such (and intend to check out Hootsuite). Now it is just a matter of getting these things done ahead of time so I can schedule things out. Cutting out the TV, which I did on Day 2 helped with distractions--fact checking the media is a big time waster for me. 

Okay, onto Day Five! 

Routine?! I Feign/Need Routine.

I'm doing Natalie Sisson's 15 Day Blog Challenge and she asked, "what is your daily success plan?" and I heard "routine". Just the idea of a routine sets my mind screaming. Silly, I know, but it does. Maybe if I call it a "ritual" instead...

My mother had a routine.  She would wake up, start her coffee, take a shower, read her book (with TV on) in her chair with her cup of coffee and then take that coffee to the bathroom where she put on her makeup just after waking me up. Same routine throughout her adult life.

I noted that her routine worked for her. She was on time and calm in the mornings getting ready for work. I have tried many times to have one, but was not successful--I am not a routine person--or am I?

I actually do have a routine.  Every morning when I wake up I quickly thank the universe for being alive (this is new to my routine) before hitting the bathroom which I am also thankful for.  Most days my stomach turns a bit when I think of my day (really further out than a day) as I walk into the living room, turn on the news, make a pot of coffee and watch the drama unfold.  That is what begins my day.  I watch the news for an hour and half (or so) and then proceed with whatever tasks are ahead of me (or get lost in the wilderness of the Internet).

That is my "at home" routine. I have often imagined what my day will look like, what my natural rhythm will be, when I am full time on the road.  I have been trying to incorporate some of that into my "at home" time. but those things (like walking/biking) are relegated for the end-of-the-workday, when in my ideal life they occur in the mornings.

Now that I see that I do have a routine it is simply a matter of making it work better for me. For some reason it is easier to "change" the routine than to "put one in place" since "I am not" a routine kind of gal.

What will my Daily Success Plan entail?

• Music instead of TV
• Some motivational messages to set the tone of the day (I do this already without regularity)
• Mindfulness/Meditation (I've tried to set my intentions or meditate in the mornings without a whole lot of success so I will check out the Headspace app)
• Walk, bike, or dance (in the morning).

I'll let you know how it goes.

Maiden Voyage with Truck Platform

My daughter staged the truck bed platform.  I love it!

It's been a whirlwind 2 weeks.  We explored national and state parks,

L to R:  Tufas at Mono Lake, Bumpass Hell, Cold Boiling Lake, and Lassen Peak all at Lassen Volcanic National Park. 

met several new bugs,

made friends with a butterfly, saw a bear, several deer (including one who swam across the river in front of us), no snakes (woo hoo), drove through smoke from a forest fire,

Forest fire smoke south of Carson City, NV (may have been the Washington fire). 

floated on 2 rivers in 2 states,

Floating the Icicle River in Leavenworth, WA

made adjustments to Troy's new platform which worked beautifully (less clothes next time, always less clothes) and gratefully received a foam mattress for the platform (much more comfortable) and also did a week's worth of big family get together activities outside of our travels, and another when we got back.

Outdoor living is for me.

4th of July at Tollbridge Camprground in Oregon (8.00 per night).

I can't wait to boondock somewhere for two weeks and discover my daily routine. Lately, I don't even need books, or games or any distractions--I am content with staring at nature.  My mind isn't particularly chatty--it ponders. Nature. Life. Purpose.

Eastern plains of Oregon. 

I question whether man is simply complicating survival when I observe the natural world. Other species spend their days enjoying life perfecting their homes and seeking nutrition. Of course, man tends to wander further and perhaps that is what begins the complication (we then need better modes of transportation than our feet, and we need something to carry our tools for living, etc. etc.) See....I ponder.

Curious deer in Lassen National Volcanic Park

I do look forward to finding my natural rhythm--to discovering which of my talents calls to me when observation and ponderation (I just made that up) become common; although I do wonder if that is even possible, to get bored with being in nature. Thus far in my traveling and camping it hasn't happened.  As a lifestyle, I imagine that will be different, but I don't really try to picture what it will look like exactly. I am open to the experience.

BLM camp on the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. 

This trip (and the one at Christmas) was supposed to be a little closer to how I imagine I will travel when I finally get to go fulltime.  I intend to generally follow the 2-2-2 Rule: Drive no more than 200 miles, stop by 2pm and stay at least 2 days. This, being a vacation through 3 states, wasn't going to fit that rule, but I wanted to be on the road by 10am and stopped by about 4 pm, have time for fun little stops along the way (like the olive tasting room along I-5 and other unique places), and have time to find a beautiful spot to stay free at for the night and enjoy a campfire (which includes at some point talking with the rangers about good BLM camping spots). I got to do some of that on this trip and my daughter was a gem on the way home helping me achieve those goals.

We ate at this cute little 50's diner with a legal pot shop next to it. 

Buying the river tubes was the best purchase EVER!  Eventually I want to learn how to kayak (or canoe), get one, and make water destinations my thing.  Getting the tubes and using them solidified the goal for me.

What I am finding about my dream is how I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it a reality and that includes doing it in baby steps.  If not a Class A, then a trailer, and if not a trailer just yet, a truck cap and platform will do just fine.  If not kayak or canoe, a river rat tube will have to do until the next upgrade.

I'm ready, ready, ready for the adventure!

Broken Water Heater, Broken Dreams

In the last 6 months the innards in both my toilets died, then the toilet valve developed a leak, my washing machine stopped working, and a breaker blew, rendering my kitchen useless (including the fridge), but the water heater, the 10-year old water heater with the 10 year warranty, did me in. Not only was it plumbing, it was gas--gas that could kill me and quite possibly my neighbors. 

The toilets I could fix, the leak got handled (albeit the pipe is a bit shorter because I bent it in the attempt and I needed a neighbor's help), my friend's husband fixed the breaker because that too could kill me (but I could do it now if I had to), I fixed my washing machine with a $30.00 part (and the internet), but the water heater was the end of the world. Well, the end of my ultimate dream life world where after I get my gypsy on, I build my own off-grid home.

Like the washing machine, the cyber DIYers and experts said the usual culprit was a cheap part--a $10.00 thermocouple (whatever that was). 

I contemplated, while I heated water to take baths and do dishes, on whether or not I was up for the task. While I waited for the money to replace the whole thing, which the cyber experts said would run me about $900.00 installed, I lamented about how hard the solo life can be.

I've checked the "divorced" box for 28 years now (WOW, time flies).  I didn't set out to be solo this long (I've sampled a lot of merchandise) it's just that I haven't met that guy yet, I guess. Most of the time I don't mind being solo, but sometimes it is very hard. It means that you have to do it all--ALL!  The breadwinner, the financier, the cook, the cleaner, the mechanic, the plumber, the electrician and always the solo problem solver. There is no one to cover your weaknesses (finance, plumber, heavy lifting--I can do light electric without too much stress).

Sure, I know women who have husbands who are perfectly capable and yet leave the water to the sink turned off for months because they just don't get around to fixing it, but at least there is someone else to blame for the sink not working.  When my sink doesn't work, it's my fault. Plus, when you are solo there is also no one to defend you when some jerk male neighbor calls you a bad name (which happened just last week). It was one of those rare moments where I just dug down deep into that hole of despair. 

I sat frozen for 3 days. I mean I really just kind of sat on my couch watching horrible TV doing nothing else. If I couldn't fix the water heater, then I certainly wasn't really up to the task of fixing up a trailer and taking it on the road.  If I couldn't fix the water heater how was I supposed to build an off grid home one day? My whole future was bleak and I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life, because I'm not that great of a carpenter either--you see where this was going--just spiraling down.  

I didn't want to spend $900 on a water heater--I wanted to buy a plane ticket to see my brothers, but there I sat doing nothing, until one of my brother's called asking if I had taken a shower yet (meaning did I fix my water heater--he assured me that I could replace it on my own--less than $900 but still sucking away at the ticket).  He was calling to tell me that an airline had $100. round trip fare, but then reminded me I couldn't buy a ticket until the water heater was fixed, which was exactly the motivation I needed.  

So I looked one more time at the site I bookmarked with the water heater cyber gurus, got off my butt and went to Home Depot to get that thermocouple--I kind of understood what purposed it served now--and I also bought a CO2 monitor just in case I failed and didn't know it. I was trying to beat the clock to get the great airline deal.

I had to remove the kick plate from the cabinet that housed the water heater to get the burner assembly out (but I had a handy dandy tool for that).  I cleaned it up and when I went to replace the thermocouple I realized that the one the water came with was different from the universal part I just bought.  Back to the Internet I went. Mine had a safety device (a little button) and the replacement had to be ordered online, but the cyber pros said the one I purchased would work.  It was too late for the cheap airfare, and I wasn't sure I wanted to take a chance on the universal replacement based on a couple recent news stories about gas explosions, so I slept on it. In the middle of the night I woke up to the alarm of the CO2 monitor.  Turned out it was just a dream (nightmare?). 

I decided in the morning that before I ordered the exact replacement part I would make sure it was the actual problem and use the "universal" part as a test.  I got it all back together checked everything twice, held my breath and tried to light the pilot.  Nothing!  I walked away, waited the 5 minutes the instructions said (actually waited 15 because I didn't want my fantasy of success to end in 5 minutes) and tried it again. Nothing. This time I didn't wait and I just kept pushing that button and voila!  It lit!  I held my finger on the button for a full minute (because the thermocouple needs heat to operate; if there is no heat from the pilot, it shuts off the gas so there is no explosion). When the minute was up I let the button go.  The pilot stayed lit!!!!!!  When I turned the thermostat to medium, the burner lit and I felt like a rock star! I checked on it throughout the day and it was working just fine--still is.  I also checked the CO2 monitor several times that day to make sure it was working. 

Now that I fixed it for 13 dollars and some change, I think how ridiculous it would have been to pay someone 300 plus dollars to fix it, or even worse, replace it altogether. Now I am ready to tackle the fridge when the time comes and realized that the thermocouple may be the reason my furnace stopped working--its the same part.  

What's more, is that I am confident I can pull off my dream of being a Solo Bohobo and possibly building my own off grid home someday (ideally with a man). 

I didn't get the $100 plane ticket, but got one for only $36 more through Spirit Air--I'll let you know how that goes--its bare bones flying, but how bad can it be?   

Born to be a Nomad

This blog is a "play project".  The "play project" is an exercise from the book "Be a Free Range Human: Escape the 9-5, Create a Life You Love, and Still Pay the Bills". The play project, in a nutshell, is to test out something that you might want to do, but with the idea of jumping in and then paying attention to what says yes, and what says no--it is designed to remove the pressure--at least that is how I understand it. It's supposed to take 3 days to develop the project, but it has taken me two weeks to come up with something that rang true for me.

I chose a blog as a play project because it is an element of a big dream of mine to become a full-time nomad, traveling solo in an RV to experience the wonders of nature in the US and sharing that experience (the good, bad and embarrassing) with people through a blog.

Hobo Desires
I have wanted to be a hobo since I was a child.  The idea of wandering drew me in and I really don't know how I learned about hobos, I just knew I wanted to be one.  I must have also known that it wasn't an acceptable career because I didn't assert to people that is what I wanted.  I don't remember asserting that I wanted to "be" anything when I grew up until 5th grade, but wanting to be a hobo is the first, and only, desire I remember before then.  

The dream has morphed.  It began with making believe I was a traveler on the railroad tracks behind my apartment building with my little pink suitcase. It resurfaced in high school as touring the US with my best friend in a VW bus, working along the way to pay for gas, food and fun; but again, there were no classes on how to embark on a dream like that--only classes on getting a job--so I joined the Navy instead.  At thirty I sold a woman a Jeep to tow behind her Class A motorhome as she hit the road solo and I vowed I would do that. Well, I didn't intend to be solo, but I knew I would retire early and travel in an RV (not retiring).  I admired her even though she was kind of bitchy (but I'm probably perceived that way too sometimes--not probably--for sure I am), and she is one of a handful of strangers that pop up in my mind when I need to draw on some outer strength. She was probably the same age I am now.

Colorado River in Utah

Over a number of years and series of events (including contemplating the meaning of life while staring at a towering red canyon wall on the Colorado River during a 4-day rafting trip, and a stint of wanting to walk the entire PCT -- pre Wild publication) I ended up here--within a year of being a full-time RVer (fingers crossed).

I believe I was born to be a nomad; and perhaps a writer.  

I am already a writer--a technical writer, but a writer. I have hundreds of published articles of my own, well, about 40 articles, but published in hundreds of outlets--trade outlets.  However, when I sit down to write anything "fun" (blog, screenplay, book, travel article) I find any and every reason to get away from this computer.  It takes so much effort to write.  I am editing before I get two words on the page, so nothing ever gets finished.  If I didn't write for a living, I would be classified as a thinker not a writer.  I have GREAT ideas!

But then there is that thing of "fun" writing being stressful.  I think I know why.  Number one is that I haven't developed my "fun" voice.  It is buried beneath corporate learning, journalistic writing and years of absorbed advice on how to act or not to act and what not to say and what to say.  I think if I can break past those barriers, it will become fun again--like it used to be.  It used to be an outlet.

The critic is even louder than the corporate voice.  The critic says, "you can't.  You can't be honest on a blog because that will make you vulnerable; and, what are you an expert at anyway?"  It also says, "if you say too much, that could make it hard to transition back into the 'real world' if all of this doesn't work out; and, you are not eloquent."

Sprinkled among the series of events that has led me to this particular place is an ever present message from the Universe to be authentic--to own who I am, warts and all, including non-eloquence. I've heard a number of people attribute their success to being true to themselves, and I've seen proof that being true to yourself works.  I am legitimately in awe when people own their "less than pretty" qualities. Sometimes when my daughter speaks (or writes), I gasp aloud--not because what she says is wrong, but because I can't believe she just admitted that aloud to a general audience (whether it is family or her readers).  But, the world does not collapse when she does.

A friend from college just started a blog, Boomer Takes On Brooklyn. We spoke about it over the phone a few times and then she just jumped in. She has already has two posts!!! and I am still editing this one--two weeks later--WTF?  I think she is an eloquent writer--she made Brooklyn sound like Main Street USA.  My daughter is a wordsmith and a poet.  She finds the most beautifully colorful ways to describe something. She's honest, funny, racy and still honing her talent at USC.

I know that I have something to offer.  In small, safe, groups I have no problem telling you about the heinous mistakes I've made in life or fears that can paralyze me for days, or the brave things I've done like driving a 25 foot rental truck from Colorado to Wisconsin towing a car behind it,  just so you have the courage to face your demons and push yourself to take risks.  Maybe I should mention that I had never been to Wisconsin, didn't have a job or a place to live, and that isn't one of the heinous mistakes I've made.  But revealing my authentic self to the World Wide Web (especially with Internet trolls), that's scary.

This blog will be about adventures of finding the right trailer and making it my own (did I mention I'm a DIYer?), the good and bad parts of doing it solo, the places I have been and will go and people I meet.  In writing about these life adventures, I will attempt to let my inner freak fly and reveal my authentic self; so bear with me as get comfortable with my authentic self through chasing my dreams.