Day 6: Realizing Life’s Completeness and Having Fun

This is part of?My Van Year?where I document my experience living in a van (a really nice van) every day during 2022?while working remotely.

I was just looking outside the kitchen window of my dad’s house into suburbia, contemplating. Right now I am still and can hear the hum of the refrigerator. Behind this, I can hear a car passing on the street. And, behind this, I can sense the white noise sound of the highway traffic, streaming up the hills of the valley it’s passing through just a few miles away.

But what is behind this? Silence. With a suburbia twist of course but it makes me think of the silence that can be experienced out past cities and suburbia, say, when living in a van and staying on public land or private land through?Hipcamp?or?Harvest Hosts.

Suburbia is complete and perfect. Everything is perfectly perfect. This doesn’t mean you can’t get frustrated with suburbia and other things. Frustration brings exciting change, like buying a van and traveling about.

Feeling complete anywhere

I knew the nature-type silence I’m referring to very well when I lived close to a large park about a year ago. I would take my dogs on trails there and often see no one. It felt like I was swimming through silence and it was especially palpable on cold days. Then, on the drives home, I felt peaceful and was grateful for my suburban dwellings.

The whole van living thing is trendy right now and it’s easy to be proud about and think more societal ways of living are inferior or even damaging. But I must remember that I and anyone else can feel whole and complete anywhere.

Van living is not better than suburban living or vice-versa. It’s all a matter of preferences, life stages, upbringings, intentions, and choices. There are so many different lifestyles and phases of life that people are experiencing: challenges they must overcome and situations they need to move through.

Years ago, I remember thinking how everyone should have a black car. Only black cars should be made I thought. I was living in Los Angeles at the time and overwhelmed by the commute. No doubt the world feels busy and I was thinking of ways to make it less busy.

Or was the only thing that was busy my mind? Probably so. Because, behind the noise and motion, nothing is happening at all. Everything is at peace, everything is fine. These are Ram Dass’ words, not mine.

This makes me laugh every time.

Life can be very fun

However, experientially, things are happening, like me writing this to you, which makes life fun. So, the question is:?Is my experience fun??I know better now to not attach myself to experiences, but I do want to enjoy the experiences. There is still work to do before transcending them and becoming a zen baby Buddha with a forever smile.

Vans seem quite fun

I answered that question six months ago when I decided to buy and build out the van. At the time, my experience was not so fun. I was forcing some things with work and relationships and was bored and antsy with my static living situation. So I did something about it. Something expensive and risky.

After putting?this document?together I went on?mbvans.com, made some calls to dealerships, flew to Washington D.C. to pick up the van, put $5,000 down, signed a dealership loan for $40,000 at 4% APR, and drove the van back to my loft in downtown Pittsburgh.

The whole van finding process took two weeks and buying a new van made the most sense since Mercedes Benz vans hold their value quite well. Used vans that were available were just too expensive and risky. I didn’t want to chance vehicle issues of the start of my journey.

Anyways, after getting the van, I took out a loan and signed a contract with a van conversion shop which I talked about the previous day. I didn’t force any of this and I wasn’t even motivated by van life trends. I just wanted a new, fun experience.

It has already started, it’s already here. Don’t wait too long. Don’t be prideful and don’t be bitter and don’t do it because you want attention. Experience and enjoy, and connect with the silence to refresh and remember how cool all these opportunities are.