Tuesday, November 6, 2012

"Yeah, You're a Broke RV Boondocker. You've Said That Before, What's the Deal?"

It's not infrequent that I mention the rather dilapidated condition of our finances... It's not something I do carelessly without a thought... or without a reason.

One of the major reasons for my blogs/websites is to hopefully prod others to screw up their courage and step off on their own "Road" ~ Whatever their "Road" is, and Wherever "It" may lead.

Let's be honest and open here; There's also in there, the hope that sharing a few lessons and philosophies will hopefully come full circle and provide a few beans to keep my own supper table decently supplied. But... that can only happen if I've provided something useful and of reasonable value.

I suspect on occasion that a few folks have perceived my comments about being financially "Challenged"... to be just whining. Pure and simple I have to say; that little of that perception would be true. Sure life would be easier if I was a lil' more flush... but it would still just be life. I am human (hard to believe but true!) I do on occasion get tired and blow off some steam... but that's not the core of how I think... it's just venting...

... Then... I pick myself up... dust off my jeans... and go back at it!

My reason for making comments here and there along the way, regarding our lack of financial riches, is an effort at making a low key, if not subtle, statement to all the other dreamers like me out there; "Being broke isn't relevant. You can still GO."

... and Go you must! Don't believe those that say you can't.

Now Understand this; That Old cliche'; "Freedom Ain't Free" is as true a statement as there is. Some of us are gonna crash and burn. It's gonna turn into gut wrenching disaster. An axle is gonna break, motors explode, rigs burn up, broken hips... even cancer... there's an unlimited list of all the things that can and on occasion will go wrong; sometimes catastrophically.

Those are the clubs the world beats you with to keep you in line... and In Service to IT!

That's the part where the Courage and plain old Guts comes in. You have to grit your teeth and deliberately shove all that Noise out of your head... You have to lock your focus on The Prize.

The Prize of A Life!  A day where you take your first true full breath; watching a glorious sunrise as you look into the Future... of days that you finally get to call YOURS.

Freedom! It's a simple word that contains a joyous sound. I might be broke... but Glacier, the Montana mountains, the Arizona Desert, Lake Pend Orielle in Idaho, the Oregon Coast... Puget Sound, the High Country around Steamboat... Zion in the Utah Desert... and all the other places I wander... are still the places I LIVE!

Go back a couple years and look at my posts... We've been in all those places and lived in all those camps... draggin' this raggedy old rig around; on far fewer dollars than most of the drifters you see out there.

I still LIVE... broke or not. THAT, is my point. It don't take riches to be a wandering, drifting, gypsy. It takes Dreams, wishes and committing to the goal... knowing where your passions lay, and having the sand to grab on to 'em and Hold On through whatever storm might blow.

It takes choking down the fear the world plants in your soul and taking the full breath that Only Freedom allows... whether the world likes it or not.

It takes simply Refusing to Not Live...

Refusing to allow malfunctions, bad luck and poor judgement  :)  to get in the way of the pure Joy of Living!

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is a Choice. Courage is making the Choice that you will not allow fear to make the decisions in your life. In this case, that the joys and soul filling opportunities that lay waiting for you will not be lost to the liver quivering squalling of the world around you as it tries to keep you in the chains of a good little serf.

A thick wallet can smooth the road, no argument... but a thin wallet doesn't block the road. An anemic wallet does not make Gypsy living the impossible dream. Look where we've been in the last two and a half years. Look at all the breakdowns and malfunctions we've climbed over. We've been doing that living and traveling on less than 1800 bucks a month for all that time.

Some might not consider that to be poverty, but in 2012 with $4.20+ diesel, repair on top of repair...nothing in the bank... and all other expenses climbing, it's far from riches. Leaves little slack for repairs and such. Any we get hit with comes straight out of that monthly, earned as we go, income, which has declined a bit to boot. 

"Nothing in the Bank"... That bullies some folks, I understand that; on occasion it'll get me a lil' edgy. They just can't step off without knowing, as a guarantee, where next month's groceries are comin' from. I'd surely  like to be able to see next month In the bank... but... next month's Freedom... is my guiding hunger.

Plans are the next big thing that shuts people down.

They make a plan... they set some rules or parameters to live by... and then Life rises up and gets in the way. Their plan as laid out and the rules they outlined for themselves gets blown out of the water so they lock up the brakes and their lives come screeching to a halt;

They sit there waiting on the situation to return to their "Ideal".

They are dead in the water... and will likely remain so. It's seldom that the obstructions fall away on their own... often they never do.

My preferences and "rules" were indeed my "Ideal Plan"... the; "If I had my druthers, this is the way I'd do it" sort of a deal. That's all well and good. But, if I'd done that, locked my brakes when MY plans got blown to hell... I'd still be sittin' there in northern Colorado waitin' on the world those plans were made in to be resurrected... and the last two+ years would still be just a dream... rather than a shining memory.

When reality just won't allow me to be goin' down the road the way I planned... I go down the road the way I CAN. Sometimes, you have to just get up and go... if you're goin'.

You have two choices; either find a way to make do... or in this case... you'll do without the life you'll never LIVE.

You're boots are torn and worn out? Heels run over... and can't afford new? glue on a patch... glue on a chunk of rubber to build the heel up until you can afford another pair... pick up your feet and put 'em down... one after the other... and head on down the road.

I've been patchin' this Old truck and our old rig to keep it on the road... and I'll continue to do that... unless and until we trip over that pot at the end of the rainbow.

In the mean time... I'm living in the SAME glorious places as the guys with the $400 loafers. :)  Well... OK... they're in the $95 a night RV Resorts ;) ... while I'm generally out in the Far Country I lust after! :) but you know what I'm sayin' ... like I said the other day... the sun rises the same for every man... no matter what his pocket holds.

So... when you hear me comment that I bruised my butt when I fell on my wallet... 'cause it's so thin it provides no padding... know that this is where I'm coming from.

Poor in Gold... and Rich in Life
Brian

17 comments:

oneeyesquare said...

Apropos for us. Rolling Jan 1 for a 7 week Florida and along the gulf coast. May or may not have the money, have enough credit card, so tather than sit herr for yet another winter, we are gonna pull off the skirting, hook up the house and head to saner temps! Boys get to see friends, mama gets to see her best girlfriend, legoland, a Fulltime Families rally, etc... Can't finance a newer truck, so rolling down in a 2001 F350 with 224k! Might it blow up and strand us, yup, but like your post, we're alive and will be creating lifetime memories for our 5 & 6 yr old boys.

Cindy K. said...

Good post and good philosophy. I like that you share your places down the road. I remember when you were so miserable in Colorado waiting for your dream of breaking away was eatin' your soul. So glad you are enjoying life in spite of your amount of beans in the pot. You enjoy your time at NASCAR, too!

Brian said...

Cj; Thank you Ma'am!

One eye; Our old truck is 180 something thousand... and a LOT of those weren't "Highway" miles ;) the trailer is bent and bruised... but we just keep fixin' and goin' cuz like you... "Financing" something fresher isn't a likely prospect... even if I could choke down the distaste for it.

Cindy; I must still be getting "enough" beans... I ain't lost no weight! ;)

Anonymous said...

All I can say is 'DAMNED RITE'
Nothing I have is nothing I did not earn, did it then can do it now. Will never go back to the old way.

WS

Patricia C. O'Neill said...

Hi Brian!

I have been following your blog since quite a while but never commented (maybe once?). I really enjoyed this post and wanted to tell you how much of an inspiration it is. It arrived just in time to give me the kick in the pants I needed ;) thank you so much.

And I have a question I have been meaning to ask you... in a previous post you said that you are using your blog to make extra money. But... I do not see you selling anything. I am not rich, but if I can buy something to show my appreciation and bring a few gallons of diesel in your tank... I'll be glad to.

I am not native english speaker and I do not always understand your cowboy way of speaking but I sure have a lot of fun trying to figure it out ;)

Have a good time at Nascar!!

klbexplores said...

Luved this post. I was two weeks ago rounding the corner on the final stretch to fultiming, when walking I rolled my ankle and broke my leg. It has slowed me down but I am still goin. Last summer while camped in a park (a rare event) next to a $500,000 motor home, my 85 year old Auntie leaned over to me and said. We are certainly are having every bit as much fun! It's the God's honest truth. I'm a goin but I just need to be walking first!

BamaGurl said...

Very inspirational post, just what I needed as I'm sitting here watching the election returns. Don't know why I do that, just saddens my soul. Gonna read some more of ur older posts and get re-inspired. Thank u for sharing with us.

Brian said...

WS; Yes Sir! ;)

Patricia; Thank you Ma'am. Though I'm not sure I want it spread around that I've been kickin' gals in the pants! :) as for the "income" that comes from the adsense ads on the site that people can go to, but only if it is something that interests them, and at the top of the right hand column is a list of links to the ebooks I've written. As for not understanding my palaver sometimes; I wouldn't worry... sometimes I don't either! I'm curious though, O'Neill sounded purty "english" to me, you said you're not a "Native english speaker"; Where'd you start out?

KB; hmmm busted leg? go on down to Goodwill... Buy a second hand skate board and some ski poles! Glue the board to your cast and shove off! :)

BamaGurl; Thank You Ma'am...and you should know, the "Energy" flows both ways. ;)

Patricia C. O'Neill said...

Hi Brian! OK, since you asked, I'm going to spill the beans ;)

I am French (from Paris, France. Not from Canada). O'Neill is my husband's name. He is American. I came in the US in 98. I did not escape misery or oppression, I left everything behind for love. We are living in AZ and share our time between Phoenix where we are anchored down with a house and Cottonwood where our RV is marooned. It's not easy to take off, but we'll do it!

When I say I lived in Paris most of my life, people say "woow, it's so romantic". I don't think so. I fell in love with the American West and the old West culture. Where nature is wild and people have values. That's what I also find in your writing and your blog. Howdy ;)

Box Canyon Blog.com said...

Now that I think about it, I see several things that "interest" me on you sidebars... and Christmas is coming up... a CowBoy blog follower has got to do his research, find the right gifts for his clan. Might as well do that research here.
Just say'in...
Box Canyon Mark

Brian said...

Patricia; Awesome! Welcome! I've found that the citizens who have come more recently, from far away cultures are our greatest asset! They have the deepest appreciation and recognition of what we have to lose here. Your last words are humbling. They are my ideal. To hear a person say those things, and place value on my words for that reason is more deeply rewarding than I can say. Thank You!

Mark; Thank You Buddy! ;) Maybe I should get more added in there! :)

Tinabeane said...

Great post Brian, good motivation for following those Dreams!

Tina

the_Wanderer said...

Brian, It's amazing how your philosophy and ordeals follow parallel to our own...for the 2 and 1/2 years I have been following you and your adventures, we've had "parallel" breakdowns, transmissions,engines, and now I've got another rig and lost my bikes (2). But you've said it all...we might be out your way soon...hoping to hook up with you and down a couple of beers one night....

Brian said...

Thanks Tina!

Wanderer; :( Don't like hearing of the loss of a bike. We'll be in Southern arizona somewhere until April. (Except for two weeks +- at christmas) easy to find... Just ask for the grumpy bald headed puss gut on the bad azz red motorsickle! ;) I'll keep yours cold!

Pam said...

Found you today through a link on Mark's blog and I love this post! It's exactly how I feel, and can't wait until we get out on the road. We're biding our time for a little while yet, but traveling as much as we can and not putting anything off in the meantime. You never know if those plans will work out so best do what you can instead of waiting too long. Can't wait to start reading your earlier posts to see where you've been...even though my list of places to go is already ridiculously long!

Unknown said...

thank you so much for this post. we got all the way to a paid for in full rig and got it all packed to hit our journeys this morning and the panic hit me as i lay down for sleep last night. got online this morning to find a boondocking guide i had previously researched and bumped into this post. our God is truly a wonder. now off to browse your books. thanx a bunch.

Unknown said...

thank you so much for this post. we just spent all we had purchasing a 78 allegro in near mint condition from an older couple retiring from their journeying. its packed and ready to go. we're scheduled to hit the road this morning and just before bed last night i was hit with overwhelming panic. we're leaving with 250.00 in hand and 2 full tanks of gas. i happened to bump into this post in search of something i thought i had bookmarked. our God is true perfection. your words were just what i needed to overcome my sudden paralysis. i am forever grateful.