Stepping beyond fear.

So many people live their lives out of harmony with what they want. Maybe they went to school and took what their parents wanted them to only to end up with an unfullfilling career.  Maybe they just took any old job to make ends meet because they thought that was their only option or maybe they haven't even thought about what they really want in so long that they don't know anymore and just go through a boring old routine each day like a zombie. It's not that these people aren't contributing to society, it's just that they aren't doing anything rewarding (not what truly matters to them) and they don't feel like they are contributing anything positive. They aren't happy or joyful and aren't living to their full potential. I know this because I was one of those people. I had dreams and ideas but they didn't seem practical or important enough. I had kids to support. I couldn't just leave a stable (albeit low paying) job to do what I want, it didn't seem right. And for years I just made things work. All of that changed when I decided to go after my dreams. I had always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail and so I rearranged my life to take six months off to hike it. It's amazing how easy it was to rearrange everything once I put my mind to it. From the moment I took the first step and made the decision to do it, every successive step became easier and easier. Looking back, I don't know why I had waited all those years to do it. Was I afraid of leaving the security of my job or the life I knew, was I afraid of what my family and friends would think or was it just too mind boggling to think that I really could do what I wanted and that there was nothing wrong with following the desires of my heart? What was I afraid of? And that is when I realized that it was fear itself that always got in the way.  A good friend of mine has some anxiety issues and while talking with her my thoughts often alternate between "why doesn't she just get over it already, can't she see how she is sabotaging herself?" and totally being able to relate to what she is anxious or worried about because I once had those same worries and I can remember how they stopped me from living my life. Im not suggesting that I am worry free now but I can honestly say that I can see how my worries and fears got in the way of my life and that I will make every effort to not fall into that trap again. I am still that practical and responsible person who tends to save up to make a special goal happen but am beginning to realize that I need to prioritize my happiness and my dreams on a daily basis instead of only saving up for the big goals in the future.  With this in mind I have decided to make some smaller more obtainable daily goals and seasonal goals while still planning and saving for the next big adventure. I've decided to go on a micro-adventure everyday! It might just be a hike down a new trail, or a bike ride to the next town or as a friend suggested today (and I happily accepted the challenge) to visit every single beach in the area by the end of the summer! I will still go to work each work day and complete any other task or obligation that I have but I will also take some time every single day for myself not by lazing around at home as I've done in the past but by exploring the area as if I had never been here before and hopefully making some new friends along the way! Want to join me on a micro-adventure?

Haliburton Holiday

We had an amazing time relaxing in Haliburton in a beautiful waterfront home. It was different from what I expected in that we didn't actually do much. We hung out and talked a lot, spent time by the water, ate, drank and were merry. We went out hiking a few times but I use the term loosely because other than a short day trip in Algonquin Park the rest of the "hiking" was on a wonderfully flat rail trail. It felt like cheating! That day in Algonquin was awesome though. We felt like we were back on the AT and it was just so nice to be back together again. Even Melkie wanted to get back in the proper hiking order. We made plans for future trips and endeavours but I'll save those for another day. On one of our rail trail hikes we checked out a few abandoned building and I will post the pictures below.

Hiker Reunion!

Canadian Bacon and Zen Master (Dina and Keith) are meeting us in Haliburton tomorrow where we have rented a waterfront house for the next two weeks. Two years ago they were my hiking partners (along with Two Socks) for the last half of the Appalachian Trail. Calling them hiking partners seems trivial and even offensive. These are my people, my tribe, my soul friends, the ones who I want to grow old with.  I can't wait to see them again! We have no set plans but I am sure no matter what the weather, we will have a great time!  It sounds silly but I'm even excited for Melkie to see them, he used to follow Zen Master (Keith) around everywhere!

Glastonbury Fire Tower!

The Test Drive

I hadn't visited my daughter in Ottawa in awhile and we were itching to test out the bus. There is still a lot of work to be done but it's now a legal motorhome and we wanted to see just how roadworthy it really was.  It rides like a dream! I couldn't believe how easy it was to maneuver and there are no blind spots on this thing! I was so comfortable with it that I had to constantly remind myself to take it easy on the corners. Michael did a great job mounting everything, there were no rattles from any of the work he had done but there is a wire hitting metal somewhere behind the electrical box that needs to be taped down. Right off the bat we filled up the tank and by the time we reached Ottawe (500km later) we were almost on empty and needed to refill. I had been hoping it would do a little better on gas than it did and will see what adjustments we can make to improve the gas milage. Overall the first trip was a huge success. We bought rare earth magnets to secure the drawers and overhead cupboards and since our return Michael has already installed them. We only have a few days before we leave for Haliburton and there is still a huge to do list. It would have been nice if we had the bus was completely finished before we took it anywhere but I gues the advantage to this is that we can adapt our plans as we see how we use it. Melkie like it!

Progress

Michael has been so busy working on the bus every chance he gets. The pictures don't give any justice to the amount of time he has put into this. For every picture I take there are hundreds of steps in between to make this come together. The Allure floor is finished  (we chose Vintage Oak Grey) and carpet was used at the very front under the driver seat area. He recovered the steps with 1/8 aluminum check plate and it looks awesome! While it was too cold to work on the bus he designed the bench seats and drawers and customized the IKEA dressers that we bought to fit over the wheel wells. By the time those were all painted it was warm enough to start painting inside the bus and finish the shelves over the windows. We custom ordered acrylic doors and he installed them when they were ready. Yesterday we moved all the furniture into the bus and Michael will be finished mounting it by the end of the day! A good friend of mine upholstered the foam cushions (another IKEA purchase) for the seats/bed so the bus is starting to really look like a living space. But there is still so much to do! The sink still needs to be installed (we are just using portable camping shower bladders as our water tanks) and we have a camp toilet that isn't a permanent fixture yet. All of the LED lighting still needs to be installed and we haven't even purchased the inverter or the stove/barbecue yet. We had the windows tinted and Michael painted outside window frames black. I was pretty skeptical on how that was going to turn out but it looks amazing and gives the bus a more modern look. The next big job is to paint the rest of the bus exterior white. I'm so excited that the bus is almost ready! The first trip is going to be to go visit my daughter in Ottawa! I can't wait!

Too much stuff!

I grew up in the country in a huge old Victorian home on a hundred acres so it's not really surprising that as an adult I've chosen big houses and filled them with lots of furniture. It seems like I've always taken up a lot of space. Some of that changed for me when I became a single parent and I needed to change my priorities in order to stretch the dollar. I still had a lot of stuff though. Later I thought I was drastically downsizing when the kids moved out and I put what I wanted to keep in storage right before starting my thruhike. During my six month hike I lived out of my backpack, if it didn't fit in my pack then I didn't need it! In fact as time went on I kept lightening my load taking out stuff I really didn't need and by the end of the trip I was carrying 17lbs of stuff I needed to survive plus food and water. I probably could have even carried less. After my epic journey I came back to all the stuff I had stored and knew I had to get rid of most of it. I didn't need it and I don't need it today.  I still have too much stuff and take up far too much space but I know that it will be an easy transition for me to travel around and live on a bus because I have lived with less. I know it will be harder for Michael and I want to help make the transition as easy as possible for him. I have visions of living in a tiny house in our future and I feel like this is going to be a great stepping stone. With that in mind Michael is making extra storage space above the windows down both sides of the bus. Seventy five square feet isn't much room for two adults and two large dogs but We are going to try to make this as comfortable as we can. Today's pictures are the work in progress of the overhead storage and the beginnings of the walls of the bus. 

One step at a time!

I feel like a kid playing with a doll house! I've been playing around with floor plan ideas for the bus and trying to design everything with storage space in mind. There is only 75 square feet to play with and we want so many things to fit in and I don't want to block out any of the windows. I love the sunshine! While I have been inside playing with paper furniture Michael has been out in the cold doing all of the prep work. The seats and floor are out, the sub floor is in and he took out the awful driver seat too. Hopefully we can find a replacement! 

Some of my friends think we are crazy for doing this but spending six months in the woods while hiking the Appalachian Trail really helped put things in perspective for me. I find myself resenting the job I once loved and wishing most of my earnings weren't going towards paying bills that I wouldn't have if I was living differently. I know I can't just change things overnight but slowly I am changing the way I spend money and decreasing my footprint on this planet. I still don't have it all figured out yet but I'm taking one step forward at a time and following what my heart tells me is right. 

Project Happiness!

We bought a small bus! We are converting it into a living space so that we can eventually travel around spreading love and happiness everywhere! I say eventually because it's nowhere near finished and we don't have set travel plans yet but we are working on it! I'm so excited I can hardly wait!