Dear Friend,
There’s been a trend going around Instagram lately that says “social media isn’t real, here’s what I’m struggling with,” and then the creator will have several slides of things that aren’t going as well for them. I think this trend is so popular because it’s refreshing to know that people who seem to have it all together still struggle. There’s still stuff going on behind the scenes. What you see on social media is only a snippet.
If you look at my social media right now you’d probably see that our family is having a great week skiing in Tahoe. That sounds so stinking snooty, gosh. We’re skiing for free on my employee and dependent passes and we have a Thousand Trails camping pass. The trip is mostly free. You wouldn’t see on social media the long, tedious drive from our home in Washington to get our Airstream in Las Vegas and then on to Tahoe. You wouldn’t see the frustration with the weather and not knowing if we’ll be able to get out when we planned. You wouldn’t see our disappointment that our fifth wheel has not yet sold. None of that makes particularly interesting social media content, right?
On one of these recent trending posts, I saw someone share that they struggle with wanting two different lives at the same time. One was traveling nonstop and the other was living on a quiet homestead out in the country with chickens and stuff. And I commented that I related so hard to that sentiment. A lot of full time travelers and other travel content creators said that they related as well. How is it possible that so many of us want two, seemingly opposed things at the same time?
I think it’s that whatever drives people to long-term or full-time travel is similar to what drives people to a quiet house out in the country. It seems backwards because one is full of people and experiences and one is pretty solitary. But I think the motives boil down to things like wholeheartedly experiencing life, living outside of others’ expectations, and expanding our perspectives. We want to live busy, but peaceful lives. I don’t actually think that’s very weird.
I feel so lucky that I’ve landed on a life that is the best of both of these two lives. That I get to travel so frequently and for so long. That my kids are exposed to so much, but also that now we get to go home to our small mountain town. To our little house that backs up to a national forest. Where we hear trains and horses and roosters (and not much else) and see the same few distant neighbors every day when everyone takes their walks.
We don’t have chickens or goats, yet. Partially because we’re in a rental and partially because we still travel too much to have animals that can’t come with us. But I do think about it a lot of days. I do live a really peaceful life. One with forest walks and nearby hikes and climbs. One that sees me traveling and finding peace in woods and lakeshores and exploring places I’ve never been. My heart is full and… calm in a way it has never been.
Maybe it’s odd to want two lives and frivolous to think that I could have both. But for now, I do. And I’m so grateful. So friend, if you want things that seem opposed, maybe you can find a way to make it all work. Maybe it doesn’t have to be either/or. Maybe you can take a little of both.
See you down the road,
Jamie
In the same way, we have too many hobbies!! Narrowing down goals or even types of life is a good problem to have.