The Ugly Truth About My Current Lifestyle
I absolutely love sharing with others about my ups and downs of life. I am grateful for the big humiliation I endured in 2010. I am grateful for my heartaches since then because they have taught me that on the other side of the discomfort of certain feelings (if we choose to feel them) there is freedom!!
I have had a lovely time here in Florida visiting friends, but I have had many uncomfortable things on this trip and it is easy for anyone following my life to get caught up in “how wonderful” it must be to have no worries and travel around in a camper and surf/visit friends/and be free……….. so today I will share some of the ugly truths about my lifestyle choices. This will allow you to understand no matter if you are living in a nice comfy home paying a mortgage, paying rent for an apartment, or living out of your car like I am - - There are always ups and downs to every situation - this is life!!
As you know, I am in Florida and it is around ninety degrees during the day and around seventy five degrees at night. My friends currently in cold places may read this and think - that sounds amazing!!! However, the past year in Washington my body has acclimated to sleeping in the cold and I sleep most comfortable when the temps are in the fifties and sixties. I get really hot and sweaty when I am trying to sleep in weather above seventy degrees and to be very honest with you - since being in Florida, I have not been sleeping as solid and sound as I was sleeping on the West Coast in the lower temp evenings. I feel it is ok for a few nights, but after a week or more - the less than epic sleep was catching up with me and I was feeling like I had been hit by a truck and it is hard for me to enjoy life to the fullest when I feel that way. I am so thankful that last night I was able to get over nine hours of sleep.
The humidity here is real, last night I could feel the wetness on my sheets due to the humid conditions. Yesterday’s thunderstorms were amazing because it cooled things off, but now I have to focus on trying to get the moisture out of my camper so I don’t feel like swamp thing.
I use the bathroom outside on the regular. This is probably not a big deal for some people, but I wanted to point out that my camper is only a sleeper with a kitchen attached in the back. I do not have a toilet and depend on public places or the campgrounds to use the toilet. I brush my teeth outside (which is one of my favorite things) but again, this could be a perk or not cool depending on your comfort level. I also don’t really have mirrors to see how amazing my hair looks and I typically change clothes outside under a beach towel instead of in the privacy of the camper because you can not stand up in my camper and I find it easier to change outside like surfers change in their wetsuits. (just little things, but I want to give you an idea of lifestyle stuff)
When its raining, its WET!! This was something I really learned to deal with last year in Washington. I have to use a tub to store my shoes at night when it is raining (to keep the shoes dry inside/out) Also, when it is raining - your clothes get soaked and then you bring them inside the tiny camper - I have learned to hang them on a hook with a towel underneath. I don’t consider these things as tough as I used to, however, I endured this last winter in the camper so my tolerance of uncomfortable things is probably higher.
I also attribute my flexibility to uncomfortable things to being in the Navy for 20 years. I lived on Ships for 15 out of my 20 year career and I feel that now I have so much more freedom than I ever did while living, sleeping, and working on a ship.
BUGS - I am pretty sure you get this one, nature is filled with critters and I am learning to coexist with them every day.
You have to clean up after yourself each day and stay very organized when you live out of your car. I have a very minimal wardrobe which I love, but something as simple as switching shoes - you must put the other pair of shoes back in the particular place to keep the small space tidy and organized.
I feel the biggest UGLY truth has been - if you don’t have a reservation sometimes you end up sleeping in a parking lot somewhere. For example, in California I was headed to a beach side camp spot and I arrived in the area after dark, no reservation, so I slept with the other RVs, big rigs, and cars at the rest stop not far from where the campground was. It makes it easier to go to a new place in the daylight, especially when you don’t have a reservation. A few night ago here in Florida the campground was 100 percent full on Friday night (there are no other campgrounds that weren’t full for hours) so I slept in a parking lot on the Navy base near the beach shower/bathhouse. It was hot, I had no fan, I was a little nervous about getting woken up in the middle of the night by security, but it worked out. I don’t mind doing this once in a while, but I couldn’t feel good about having to “wing” it most of the time. This along with many other things, is what this trip is about for me. I am learning the ropes of how to travel better, smarter, more comfortably, and healthier.
Last thing for now is FOOD - as you know, I don’t have lots of storage, I am a tiny traveler and I haven't gotten in the groove yet of getting fresh food on a daily or every other day basis. I have been spending more money on food than I would like, and purchasing meals in towns more than i would like. The only place I made my food each day was when I was camping on the beach in California (because I took time to go to the grocery the day before I arrived) It is really all about making time for things that matter.
I hope this gives a little insight on the things that aren’t easy about how I am living. Hopefully, this makes me seem more normal - because there is no lifestyle that is perfect and that doesn’t have its ups and downs. The main reason I am choosing to live this way for the time being is because I don’t want to pay for a house that I stay locked up inside all of the time - paying a mortage and all of those utility bills didn’t feel good for me last year and I decided to make a change, but this will not be forever. I desire to live in an off grid yurt, but I have no idea where I want to grow roots. This trip is giving me the opportunity to feel different places now that I am out of the Navy, I am getting to visit friends, and live out a dream I had when I bought the camper in the first place back in 2017. I am willing to take the downs with the ups for the adventure I feel.
If you have any questions or comments about my choices/lifestyle - feel free to comment or question below!
