Posted on October 27, 2015
April 7, 2015 – St. Paul, Minnesota
“Yeah, I have way too much stuff…”
It’s 2013, and that’s what comes out of my mouth as a few friends are helping me move out of my two bedroom apartment. That’s right; I had my own two bedroom apartment and needed every inch of that space. A prisoner of my possessions. I even had insurance on my sectional couch. Even worse is the fact that I had moved almost every year for the last… ten years? I don’t want to know how much time I’ve invested in moving my stuff.
Cut to today, where I’m helping my cousin and her boyfriend move into a house. How can two people own so much stuff? I guess it’s easy to think that way after purging 90 percent of your belongings. It’s also a nice reinforcing process to remind oneself what it would be like to go back to owning that much. When we’re done here, I’m going home, filling a box, and taking it straight to Goodwill.
I’m not trying to say that it’s bad to own a lot of things. I just find that without them, I can focus more on what’s truly important in my life. Things like health, family, friendships, traveling, and helping others. Not owning a lot allows me to be more free, more open to experiences, and more willing to take chances. That, and I can load up my car with all my stuff in under an hour.
Take that, American consumerism.
“The things you own end up owning you.” -Chuck Palahniuk
Updated on September 29, 2015
March 22, 2015 – Saint Paul, Minnesota
My adult life has always felt a bit serendipitous.
I tend to trace this feeling back to when I was 18, eager to get out and embrace new experiences. Most notably, though, was at age 19 when my best friend asked me to move to Iowa City with him. This whimsical decision led to many great opportunities, such as my discovery of the mental health field, which dramatically changed my perspective on life. And women. And booze.
I had made plans with Mari to stay with her until the end of May, but my summer was still up in the air. I wanted to head north in an attempt to see more of Minnesota. I would also need to make a lot of money at my next spot due to my potential remote hosts in the fall. A lot of money.
One day during the lunch hour, Mari had come home and asked me about my summer plans. I told her, and then she really surprised me by offering a summer stay with her parents in the Brainerd area. People of which, by the way, have never participated in this type of work exchange. I didn’t have to think too hard to accept her proposal – it could essentially meet all of my requirements for the summer months. Not only that, but by staying there, I would also continue to see Mari and Syr during visits. Could it get any better?
Am I just a lucky person, or is there something to be said about letting go of control and opening your world up to potential opportunities? There are only so many hosts online; will more reach out to me as I continue on this journey through the people I meet?
One can certainly hope.
It is not often that a man can make opportunities for himself. But he can put himself in such shape that when or if the opportunities come he is ready.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Posted on September 16, 2015
March 1, 2015 – Saint Paul, Minnesota
House sitting has never been so lonely.
Well, mostly. Mari and Syr have been out of state for a few weeks visiting family, and I’ve almost completed the moderately large painting project she assigned to me before leaving. A few weeks? I’d kill someone. Fortunately for me, one of my cousins was willing to help complete the project. We have been spending a reasonable amount of time together of late, since we currently live so close to each other. It’s been nice living closer to my family in the twin cities; I’ve come to value our time together more than ever.
When you know you will only be in a place for a set amount of time, you tend to value your time in that place much more. You want to see as much as you can; you want to spend as much time as possible with those you care about. This is a common experience. On the same token, however, absence is just as important as presence. Being distant from people and places for extended periods makes it that much better when you see them again. Absence renews appreciation.
While our relationship has been growing stronger over the past few months, I know it will be harder to say goodbye this time. I don’t know when I’ll see him again. I don’t even know when I’ll see my immediate family again. But I do know this: in lieu of them, I’ll create temporary families as I go. Families who will treat me like their own. Families who will be treated as my own.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” – Unknown
Updated on September 12, 2015
February 6, 2015 – St. Paul, Minnesota
“Guys, I think this is what I want to do with my life.”
It’s 2007, and I’m sitting in my living room with my roommate and his girlfriend. I recently had a revelation of sorts, enamored with my new line of work in the mental health field. As part of a direct care staff, I assisted individuals with mental disabilities in their homes and communities. Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone. In the beginning, I worked days and evenings. Eventually, though, I began primarily working asleep overnight shifts to focus on my education.
Wait…
…is there a degree in nomadism?
It’s 2013, and I’m living out of my car. In preparation for a Eurotrip, I sublet my apartment early and stored most of my stuff. When you’re working five overnights a week, who needs their own bed? I remember thinking at one point, “Can I make a lifestyle out of this?”
It’s 2015, and I’m still working in my sleep. And people call me a workaholic. Becoming comfortable working and sleeping in other people’s homes can have a dramatic effect on one’s life. For me, they were myriad. I grew less attached to my own home and belongings, became more focused on helping other people, and enjoyed starting my day with more free time because I had already put in a day’s work. More. Free. Time. Time that I can currently give to someone else – my wonderful hosts.
It’s amazing how our experiences can impact our lives, if we only let them.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch
Updated on August 24, 2015
January 28, 2015 – St. Paul, Minnesota
“It’s nice to see a parent that takes the time to play with their child.”
I smile and say, “Thank you,” to the kind stranger paying me such a compliment as I’m watching Syr play at a nearby park. I should be so lucky. I’m grateful for our time together, as well as the chance to give Mari some distraction-free time. Helping a single mother will most likely be one of my more rewarding experiences on this journey, and despite Syr’s circumstance, I can’t help but feel envious of the young girl.
Syr is only three years old, and she’s already been exposed to way more than I was at that age. Her mother teaches her Spanish. Her screen time is limited, which forces activity and inventiveness. She asks for vegetables when she’s hungry. Syr will be a superhuman.
My parents also divorced when I was three, but I didn’t have the exposure that she does…the interactions with people from all over the world that may shape the person that she becomes. Racial, cultural, and religious intolerances could be foreign concepts to her. In an age that barrages children with digital entertainment and information, Syr could be learning about other traditions, beliefs, and practices first-hand.
I envision her life without these influences and experiences; I imagine my life with many more of them. How much can our lives change when we open ourselves up to this type of lifestyle? How many other lives can we change?
I have a lot of catching up to do.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu
Updated on August 24, 2015
January 8, 2015 – St. Paul, Minnesota
Well, I didn’t plan on this.
I clench my teeth as the phlebotomist performs venipuncture on my arm for the first time in my life. I don’t have much of a choice but to donate plasma as I look for work here, as my recent gallivanting around Europe has consequentially put me in a bit of a tight spot. Great idea, Nick. Good timing.
To begin donating plasma (and each time you come back), you have to complete a screening process. When I began communications with Mari (my current host), I imagined what it would be like to screen potential travelers. Would this person really fit here? Does their skill set match my needs? Clearly, I hoped that I would work out for someone, somewhere. Can I really do this? Do I have the right skills?
I’m watching as my blood flows into the plasmapheresis machine to be stripped of its sweet, juicy plasma. In my mind, this process symbolized my recent transformation. I’ll be leaving a part of me everywhere I go. With everyone I meet. Is this what it feels like to shed one’s proverbial skin? My free time is now spent helping Mari and her daughter, Syr. I have the least amount of money and possessions I’ve had for years and years, and I’ve never been happier.
I down a bottle of Powerade and the phlebotomist wraps up my arm. That wasn’t so bad. I walk out the door and can’t help but feel that this new lifestyle, though not currently lucrative, will be more rewarding than anything I’ve ever done. Why did it take me so long to do this?
“I find it invariably true, the poorer I am, the richer I am.” – Henry David Thoreau
Updated on July 28, 2015
January 5, 2015 – St. Paul, Minnesota
Knock, knock, knock.
My hands tremble slightly as my heart rate heightens. I’m at the door of my first host, and my mind is restless. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can see her through the door; she’s with her three-year-old daughter in the kitchen. Deep breaths. Relax, Nick. A new feeling takes ahold of my body as she lets me in. Or maybe a new mixture of many feelings. Overwhelming the others, though, is sheer discomfort. In a good way. The best way. This is my new home. This is the beginning of my new life.
Just two months ago, my life was pretty “normal.” I had just returned from a month-long trip to Europe, and decided to spend a few months in California with some family there afterwards. One afternoon, I was helping my uncle move my cousin into her new apartment when my mom called to check up on me, as she does from time to time. We had a brief conversation, during which she joked about how much I travel. I remember joking back, “Yeah, you know…I think I’ll just start traveling around the country, spending a year in every state.” We all laughed, and then my uncle said, “That’s actually a pretty good idea.”
My mind instantly became infested by this idea. I was temporarily working at a factory, and I remember thinking endlessly about it. Would I be able to afford this lifestyle? What about my friends and family? Despite these and other valid concerns, the idea of a constantly morphing lifestyle excited me beyond belief. I will see and experience more than I ever dreamed.
Starting with this experience, here, now.
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” – Christopher McCandless
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