Livin' the Dream
For many years my automatic response has been 'Livin' the Dream'. Whether it be 'How's it going?' 'What's up?' or 'How are you doin'?'. I've never given it much thought, but overhearing someone else say it the other day set off a thought avalanche I couldn't stop.
This is the first winter in my life that I haven't shoveled any snow. (I know there is still time to fuck this up, fingers crossed that I don't) I am working, maybe overworking but I've never been good at moderation, in a completely new field that I never could have pictured myself in. I am meeting some of the most interesting and fun people I could've hoped to get to know and I'm getting to connect with two uncles that I really only got to meet as a child until now.
I have virtually no bills, and nothing tying me down. (I could literally blow town in 10 minutes) I have my 2 pups not just with me on this adventure, but almost within petting distance at all times. Some mornings I wake up and take 30 steps onto the beach.
It was the modern day philosophers of Metallica that wrote:
'And my ties are severed clean. The less I have the more I gain, off the beaten path I reign. Rover, wanderer, nomad, vagabond, call me what you will... Anywhere I roam, where I lay my head is home.'
Condensing my possessions has been hands down the greatest thing I have ever done. It almost got addictive. Once I started jettisoning belongings I couldn’t stop. It was like I was carrying everything and as I got rid of it, I could feel the weight coming off my shoulders. On a scale of 1-10 I went to 6 or 7 on ridding myself of possessions. I think most people should at least try a level 1 or 2 though. You almost definitely have something you never/rarely use and someone out there would use it daily. That giving feeling is incredible. If Christmas is such a great holiday, why only do it once a year, right?
I am very uncomfortable with writing about myself this much, but it is something I should work to get more comfortable with. I also acknowledge the absurd corniness of the 'deep staring out over the ocean' photo. When I took the picture I was thinking 'Hey, I'm never in any of my pictures' and hopped in. It wasn't until I fell into this livin' the dream thought river that the picture made any sense to me.
Now this is not to say i am gripe-less. I have plenty of them. The key is to not let them overpower the good. My dog Lugnut is blind. When he runs into something, he shakes it off and takes off running in a new direction. He has taught me to be more go with the flow, and I am extremely grateful for the lesson.
So next time you see me, you don't need to ask how it's going because you already know...
I am livin' the dream!