Happy 9th Re-Birthday to Me!

Happy 9th Re-Birthday to Me! 

Nine years ago today, I closed the door on the life that I was living. I wasn't certain where my path would lead, but I trusted that by closing the door, another would open. Little did I know that closing that single door would lead to the opening of not just one door, but door-after-door-after-door. Each of those doors led to unexpected places far more wondrous than I could have ever imagined.

My Interview for "Tiny House Lifestyle" Podcast

A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Ethan Waldman for the Tiny House Lifestyle podcast. Our conversation is recorded in Episode #165: "What's Bicycle Touring Got to do with Living Tiny?"

Ethan and I discuss how bicycle touring and tiny living have lots in common. We chat about other topics, too -- minimalism, van living, and serendipity, to name a few.

The episode was released well over a week ago. However, I'm slow to share the podcast on my blog because ... surprise! ... I was just at the beginning of a ten-day bicycle tour when the episode was released.

You can listen to the episode below.

Alternatively, click here to navigate to the episode on the interwebs.

Enjoy!

Home, Sweet Home: The Van is Done!

For years, I've been curious about living in small spaces. The curiosity began with tiny homes. I fell in love with tiny houses long before they became a fad. Then I became interested in sailboats. And then vans.

These curiosities have led to various aspirations. My curiosity in sailboats dovetailed nicely with the opportunity to live aboard with a beau a number of years ago. Living on a sailboat has been one of my favorite living experiences. I've toured numerous tiny houses over the years, wetting my feet to the idea of someday living in one. You can make a solid bet that a tiny home is in my future; I'm just not quite there yet. I've aspired towards van living, too. A van, after all, would be a nice complement to my traveling lifestyle. 

I find it fascinating how aspirations evolve. They often sit and simmer -- sometimes for days, sometimes for months, sometimes for years -- while aspirations are tried on for size and feel. Hesitancies abound and obstacles intimidate. After all, it can be challenging to muster the momentum required to give aspiration flight.  

And then something happens. All the sudden -- sometimes with reason and sometimes just because -- an aspiration is granted commitment. As soon as I commit, all hesitancy fades, and as Goethe would say, providence moves. The next thing I know, my aspiration is a reality. That's how it was with piercing my nose. With quitting my job. With going home-free and later car-free. And that's how it was with my van. 

Home, sweet home.

On October 12th of last year, momentum rallied itself. How am I going to build a van? Where am I going to park the van when I travel overseas? Do I really want another vehicle when I have relished in being car-free the last few years? On that day, these questions shrank in size. They became distant specks in my rearview mirror.

Sticker Fun

I bought a cargo van a few months ago, and I've been building the van out into an adventure mobile. A friend suggested my van needs the bumper sticker that reads "Cash, Grass, or Ass - Nobody Rides for Free." 

The not-so-fun vehicle version of the sticker.
[Notice the despicable grammar!]

I chuckled and thought certainly any bumper sticker must be bicycle-friendly. And with that, the "Tube, Lube, or Boob - Nobody Rides for Free" bumper sticker was birthed.

Happy 8th Re-Birthday to Me!

Happy 8th Re-Birthday to Me! 

Eight years ago today, I stopped letting life happen to me. I rebirthed myself into a new life lived deliberately. Oh, what a journey it has been!