I am not a hippy. I’m not a crusty. I’m not a gypsy. I work for a living. I pay my taxes and I am a responsible citizen. I believe in recycling. I do not litter. But I want a simple life and so with my husband I’m moving into a van. Maybe we will hate it. Or maybe this is the beginning of a new life.

In search of another life

"They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn..."

Jack Kerouac

Thursday, 10 June 2010

Highs and Lows

I have just bumped into the lovely but secret Melanie and she asked me about the highs and lows of van living. The highs are easy: I think my favourite thing is owning nothing. If you live in a house or flat full of stuff you cannot imagine what a relief it is to get rid of it all. I had just picked up the last few weeks’ mail that has yet to be redirected and there were about thirty letters for us, most of them junk mail. So that has to be the other great thing about van life: no mail. No bills for that matter.

But the lows are harder. What don’t I like about my new life? Well, I know that I do not want to do it forever because I have dreams of having a garden in the countryside some day, but for the moment, there is nothing I don’t enjoy. Reg is another matter and I think his job has a lot to do with that. He bumped into a very good friend last week just as he was coming out of the van, and although she knew where we lived, he says he felt embarrassed.

Melanie wondered if that was because as a male he feels that he should be the provider. Perhaps all men have an inbuilt need to have that role but that is not the life for us and both of us believe that pride is a thing to be gotten rid of. So we are currently trying to find Reg’s pride, yank it out of him and stamp on it.
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous14 June 2010 at 12:55

    i dont think reg needs his pride stamped on! your van is lovely and i think reg should be proud of it not embarrassed. reg needs his attitude stamped on! reg isnt a aprt of the great unwashed, and being a van dweller is a creative solution to life not a cop out. well done again! (ray x)

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  2. Vagrantia14 June 2010 at 13:43

    Thanks Ray! reg says "mmmm".

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