The Aftermath Pt.1

So yeah, phase 1 complete. I’m now back home in Seattle WA!

It’s been approximately 7 weeks, with about 2500 miles driven there and back.

I visited four new states, making a total of 7 that I visited.

Those being:

• Washington

• Oregon

• California

• Nevada

• Arizona

• Idaho

• Utah

I can now say I’ve had a taste of the American Southwest, and was quite surprised by how beautiful it can be.

The desert does indeed have a magical quality all it’s own. The clear night sky, the stars, the languid amber glow of the setting sun, and the way it turns the red rocks purple at dusk was pretty enchanting.

Not to mention 70 degree day time temperatures in December and January.

Not too shabby!

I met lots of people living the life, and now much better understand nomad culture.

There are people from all walks of life, in all kinds of different setups. Which is the cool part in my opinion.

Everyone is free to put their own spin on things.

Some folks have really fancy, and decked-out vehicles. Others are far more minimalist and no-nonsense in their approach.

Some are casual dabblers, and others have been full time for MANY years.

A few people I met doing so in vehicles I never would have suspected longevity was possible.

Like this one lady in her fifties, she’d been living in an old RAV-4 for 11 years…in urban settings no less. I was floored!

I also swear I couldn’t take 10 steps in any direction without running into someone who was also YoutTubeing about their exploits. Famous and obscure channels alike.

It was kind of crazy!

Most of these people I met at the RTR, or Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. Which I previously described as being THE annual event for vehicle dwellers and itinerant life style havers alike.

I even got to show off my rig, which was loads of fun!

There were two day of “open house” events for vans, and I ended going to both.

And I can’t help but feel a little tickled by my participation, and my choice of vehicle.

I had one of the more unique setups, no one else had anything imported. Much less a right hand driver.

It was super fun to tell people about how I discovered, acquired, and converted my Toyota.

People had SO many questions, and were coming at me left and right! It was honestly a little overwhelming, but in a good way. I left both days feeling energized, and nourished by the interactions I’d had.

Really quite cool considering the event is completely free.

Overall, I’m glad I got to experience it.

However…the specifics of what happened aren’t the real story. At least in terms of where I went and who I met.

Beneath all of that, this journey was an emotional one more than anything else.

Which to be honest, I truly did not expect!

It was pretty tough from the get go, which will come as no surprise to those of you who have been following along.

And after 7 weeks, I decided I’d had enough…at least for now.

So what gives, you might ask?

What’s the straw the broke the camel’s back?

It was an epiphany that did me in!

That I was essentially looking for love in all the wrong places.

It might sound silly, but it’s true.

Real self-esteem, self-love, and contentment can’t be found down some dusty stretch of road.

At least, not in any tangible way…as those things don’t exist any place but inside of me.

The trouble was, that’s not the way I’ve seen it for most of my life.

I always thought I’ll be happy “when.”

Happy when I get that van.

Happy when I hit the road.

Happy when I get that job.

Happy when I meet that girl.

Happy when I blah-blah-blah.

I think you get the idea.

I certainly did, and in the moment when I realized the driving force behind my trip…I had absolutely no desire to keep pushing.

It was far more important to turn my attention towards the questions I now had.

If happiness isn’t some place I can go in the real world, then how might I find it within myself?

How do I get in touch with those inner wellsprings?

What would I do, and what would life look like were I no longer trying to prove myself to people?

From where does all of this insecurity emanate? Where did I even get these ideas in the first place, and how did I learn to put my worth in the hands external circumstance to begin with?

Lots of juicy questions to say the least! The answers to which I’m really excited to delve into.

A very different way of being I could discover, with which to make new meaning out what life I have remaining.

If there’s one thing I can now confidently say…it’s that before I expire, I REALLY want to know what that self-confidence and emotional freedom taste like.

Life is just too short to be scared all the time, and carrying such a burden isn’t a lot of fun.

In fact, it’s a lot of work to maintain!!! So why keep it up?

Which is a very cool realization to have, and by virtue of that alone, I’d say my trip was worth it.

Which in retrospect is the true value of van life. It will bring you into close contact with your stuff, and in many ways is SO NOT the rosy en devour your favorite social media influencer makes it out to be.

Well…it’s just not the whole picture at any rate.

But, I digress.

Time to pivot a little, and talk about the now.

It’s been about three days since I arrived back in the PNW.

I’m staying with my parents while I look for work, get back on my feet, and learn how to feel good again in light of my recent discoveries.

Which also begs a question, what to do with this blog?

A couple things I’d like to use this platform to explore:

• Answers to the questions posed above.

• Subsequent vehicle builds, I have ideas!

• More thoroughly documenting what I’ve learned, and expanding on strategies to make life in a vehicle more viable.

So I sincerely hope you’ll join me for all of the above!

Tis’ not the end, but only the beginning.

Ta-ta for now.

-Piers