Lessons in Creativity

Striking out with a modest amount of money, a combination of savings, our garage sale cash, and family contributions, this trip was destined to be interesting. We honestly had no idea what we were looking for when we left Santa Fe, but we hoped for free camping, awesome climbing, and jobs to spring out of the ground at the point when we ran out of money. This was an interesting plan. We quickly learned that free camping in California is hella* difficult to come by; climbing locations aren't always close to civilization, internet, or these elusive jobs, but that actually, we aren't interested in having traditional jobs anyway. 

Breaking down in Ojai changed that. Breaking down in Arcata solidified it. Traditional jobs or not, we were going to have to find some form of income, or we were going to have to begin parting with belongings. Still not wanting jobs and really not being in a position to get a job (stable place to stay), we changed our outlook and enthusiastically began exploring our other options. We met people. We asked for and accepted help. We stayed with complete strangers. We made friends. We responded to an interesting Craigslist post, which resulted in us climbing a 100 foot tree to fix a solar panel, and we got paid for it. We took invitations seriously and ended up at rocking parties. We painted buildings, fixed roofs, and kept our fingers crossed...a lot. We found ways to keep going and all it took was a little creativity.

At our first couch surfing spot, our outgoing and opinionated host continuously questioned our inspiration. How could we just sell everything and go, just like that? How could we leave without heaps of savings or a set direction? How could anyone walk away from a stable job with benefits? The truth is, it is never about "how". Anyone who has ever asked us how we could be doing what we are doing always answers this themselves somewhere in the following conversation. They start recounting stories of their own adventures or the interesting people they have met who were doing something like us. They have an idea about what you have to do logistically: you just go. Instead, the question is really about "why" and those reasons also seem to reveal themselves once we begin discussing ancient temples, beautiful beaches, staggering mountain ranges, delicious food made of exotic spices, and a sense of lawlessness and possibility only felt out on the road. Anyone who has traveled knows the feeling and I believe you can find it here in America with our prolific rock formations, desert sunsets, glaciers streams, old growth forests, riotous music festivals, San Francisco bread bowls, and New Mexican green chile. (I'm biased about the chile.) Phil and I did do the traditional job route and we worked really hard for the time we were in Santa Fe. Much of that time Phil was working two jobs and he was a zombie. We didn't have weekends off or if we did, we didn't have weekends off together. Actually, either of us having two days off in a row was a luxury. We lived in a beautiful place, but we felt stuck in the grind, and we had ideas of something else. So, we left. We sold everything, we gave away more, and we packed up what was essential into a backpack each. The rest of the car we filled with camping and climbing stuff, and we took off. 

We've had talks with people who think we are nuts, who swear by savings, and who know that one day they will be happy that they were rational and stuck to a track with a 401k. I don't doubt that they will be happy and I don't criticize that course, but it isn't what we want. As we come to the end of our time on the farm, we are still waiting for these jobs to reveal themselves or push through the earth with the winter vegetables, but perhaps we would hoe them out of the ground if we saw them. We left everything in Santa Fe for a reason and it wasn't to find a new place to get a job; it wasn't even for a two day weekend. We left in search of possibility and it has been a challenge, free camping aside. Yet, our enthusiastic pursuit of different options prevails. Fingers crossed, we will find ways to keep going - all it takes is a little creativity. 

*hella: A "multi-purpose word"invented in northernCalifornia. (Urban Dictionary) Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.