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I understand how my title for this one could be very deceiving. 1. because I simply did not vote today, I am not 18... Yeah so I only have one point of why it would be "fake news"
Okay that's it enjoy watching the polls come in. Apparently I was kidding so here is what we ate and some other random crap I talk about for the next 5 minutes... That is currently what we are doing (watching the polls). We made mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts for dinner. I know truly a great meal... We didn't have much to cook with okay, at least we aren't eating ramen noodles like every college student out there. If you are still unsatisfied, we had teriyaki tofoo last night which honestly is the best way to eat tofoo. Because lets all be real here, who likes white rubber that tastes like nothing? Not that any of you care about what I eat, to finish off our lack of a meal tonight we had pumpkin spice ice cream sandwiches. It was my first time ever having something pumpkin spice. I can happy say I will not jump on that trend. Yes I enjoyed the ice cream I just shoved in my face, although a classic is always better. No need to fix something that is not broken! How do you eat your ice cream sandwiches? Do you just eat it like a normal person or do you take off one cookie and eat that separate from the other cookie and the ice cream? I apologize if that is confusing. My lovely mother for some reason feels the need to eat them that way. We all learned from a young age she is crazy. I truly believe you can learn a lot about someone by the way they eat. For instance who eats their burritos from the middle? Just a question. I have no clue where this is going but my father called me today and we talked for a solid 15 minutes. This surprised me because he tends to avoid me. I said I would call him back because I needed to go but he simply said no I don't want to talk to you. Love you too dad! Thanks. The reason I mentioned him calling me to begin with is I mentioned I have not felt like writing in a while and he said to post a small update. So I guess I will start doing more if I can. Although here I am proving my point I said earlier to him I cannot do that! I sit down to write a small little update and continue to be writing for another 30 minutes about stupid stuff that no one could care about. So jokes on you if you follow my writing! It is all weird. Okay I will stop myself here and enjoy hanging out this wolf of a dog my sisters friend has!
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So as you may know I wear vans pretty much everyday of my life... I brought two pairs of shoes on this thrip, a pair of nike "running" sneakers and the third pair of vans I ever bought. I own four for anyone wondering. They are great shoes, honestly great for everything: Style (because I am big into that), sitting in school all day, walking, running if you really want to, Hiking!, keep your feet warm and dry okay I could go on and on. Just love them. I happen to wear them more than the normal Fairfield kid or any kid I guess. I say this only because the girl I sat next to for graduation asked if I have a sponsorship. Oh how I wish I did!!! And before you ask... No I did not wear vans while I crossed the stage getting my diploma, but I won't lie, I thought about it. So what I think I will do is email Vans and ask them for a sponsorship. I mean the worst they can say is no. Yeah them saying that will crush my little heart but I will just have to continue to buy shoes with money like the rest of the world. I mean how awesome would that be though! If I could get shoes for free. I mean I would probably have to try a little harder. (I took a break from writing this and went through all my photos to find pictures I could use to send to vans). I mean my vans have traveled the world with me, all across the states and all across Norway. I could even say they have traveled the oceans. I mean that counts right? They were on a plane with me so they traveled the ocean? I think they will agree to that. I will let you guys know what happens after I tell Vans that they should sponsor an ordinary kid who lives in a get this... a VAN! Just put that one together:) If anyone has any connection to Vans please help a girl out. I sure would love it. Here are some photos of me wearing them:) just a small collection
I need to start taking more photos of my feet... Disclaimer* No Vans were harmed in the process of making this. Where do I even begin, there is so much I have seen and done while I was in Canada. I will keep it simple and just stick to the most interesting points.
I met some great people no doubt. They let us crash at their house for like 5 days which is pretty crazy. Although Kember and I tried to be the best house guests by making them dinner and baked a few pumpkin pies. I guess I am working backwards because we made those pies the last night we were there as a thank you gift for everything. I will try to explain the whole situation of who we met and where we stayed. It is basically just a house that twenty year olds turned into community living. There were about 9-11 people living in this house then add Kember and I on the couch so that was pretty crazy. They talk as if their lives are a sitcom which honestly I can see where they are coming from. Where they lived was on an island, the downtown was small and there really wasn't much to do. They went to the same thrift store, coffee shop and vegan restaurant. That was kinda it, all there was to do and all they wanted to do. I was going to explain the people I have met and how I connected with them although that is something I kinda wanna keep to myself. That this visit could be my first and only one, so I kinda want to keep that as something special. Everyone was very nice and it was funny to see how different everyone was from each other. They all felt so real, that they had their own passions and beliefs but they respected each others ideas. I guess that is what happens when you leave a bubble you have lived in your whole life. People constantly judge in Fairfield but thankfully there are so many people out there who are genuine and care about others and their thoughts. I have always been one to care and want to know what people think, to just understand what goes on in my friends heads. I guess you could say it was nice to have a moment in time where people had that same mindset as me. Now onto what we saw and did in Canada. It was almost halloween when we got there so everyone was very excited about that. Me being a party pooper I sat out the two parties. I don't know just not for me I guess. I did not want to dress up and like I have said before, I don't like parties. I know I would have had fun, that it would have been an experience I may never have the opportunity of having again. Although it is not something I see myself regretting for not doing. Parties just do not have to be in the equation in my life. Maybe that is lame and boring that teenagers are supposed to be going out and parting and making stupid decisions. Just not this one I guess... Anyway everyone was all dressed up and excited for those. Something that was really cool was Kember and I spent a day in downtown just us 2, we walked around and decided to head to a park that was on the coast. We walked around for a bit and found a path down to a small beach. We then discovered it continued around the whole parks coast. Not sure if that makes sense... Sorry:) We stumbled upon a beach that was all smooth pebbles, that every rock was round not one ridged edge. Pretty fascinating right!! I assume you care very much about smooth rocks... No the really interesting part was there were trees everywhere along this beach. Hundred of branches and whole trunks that have drifted from the ocean onto this beach. It was a sight to see no doubt. It still confuses me on how and why that was. I wish I had a photo but for some reason just didn't take one. I don't want this to get too long so I will talk about this hike we took. It was magical, the trees were huge and everything was covered in moss. It felt so calming in this forest. That all of these trees where hundreds of years old. I cannot even imagine all that they have experienced. Yes I know a tree is a tree it grows and that's about it but that is a long life time. So we did that hike around and checked out this river that the salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs. That was a sight to see, something I have never experience. Salmon in a very shallow river causing them to be half out of the water fighting the stream. So yeah that was a lot of what I did in Canada: hikes, restaurants, beaches, salmon swimming, lots of laughs, chilling a lot of the time and cooking or baking. It was a good time, had a lot of fun. I have traveled a lot of miles since I have started this trip. I have learned a lot about what is around me as well as myself. I would say much more than I would have if I was in school. Did not reread this so hope my editors still work for me:) I realize I have not posted in a long time, to be honest I just haven't had inspiration to write. In a moment of time as I walk the streets or pick up a book, I will have a moment of thinking "I should write about this." Although each and every time that thought will disappear the second I am able to pull out my laptop. It is kinda as if I missed my chance.
I think about that a lot in life, that what if things are limited to a set time period. Mainly for me it's with relationships with people. Everything in my head has an expiration date. It also happens randomly with total strangers, that if I don't go and help them or start a conversation, I would have ever missed my chance. I realize this is not a good way to look at life, trust me I get that, it is something I struggle with. I think a lot about psychology and a lot of things that a kid my age shouldn't I guess you could say. My sister calls me wise beyond my years which I smile at each time she says that, although there are times where she says that I think I know everything. I don't know when I ever expressed that feeling towards her but I have said it before, I don't know a lot. I see a lot of things I don't know, shouldn't know, or have never even come close to experiencing in my life. How could anyone in this world know everything or even think they know everything. There is so much knowledge to learn. I guess I am just so fascinated by psychology and how the brain works, how people think and what past moment sin their lives cause them to act and feel a certain way. I like finding a challenge for myself. As I believe everyone does. If there is no uphill climb, whats the point? I will write more about this in a later time, I had a great conversation with a girl in Canada. I have no clue where I am going with this... I could write about how great Canada was and how we are back in Seattle. But I just couldn't do that. That maybe I missed my opportunity to share those moments in my life. Maybe it's too late. I am kinda kidding about that also not at all, that if I have time and wifi I will try to start writing about all that I saw and did while in Canada, all the people I have met or all the horrible drivers we witnessed. There are honestly hundreds of words I can write about it. That is a challenge for me, that if I don't put a thought into words or onto paper it will sit in my head. I lived my whole life not writing for myself until about junior year. I let the millions of thoughts running through my head sit and collect dust. Some thoughts were simple, everyday moments that could come and go while others caused me so much stress and were constantly in the back of my head weighing on me. I take that seriously now, that everyone has a reservoir, we keep things hidden or push them as far down as possible until it's too late. With time and no release everything will come overflowing out. I am trying to get to a place where I don't overflow, that I have to write to clear my head to clear my reservoir. I am not sure how I got onto that topic, maybe because I was talking to a friend about writing and how helpful it can be. Anyway I hope I did not miss my chance to talk about all the adventures I have had in Canada!! Hope all is well, I apologize for not posting in a while. I know all of you are truly invested in this and are most likely checking it everyday... Wouldn't expect anything less:) Have a great day! Hello there!!
We got to Canada Tuesday afternoon, honestly didn’t start out great. To begin our experience the lady at the border was not very nice to us. She didn’t believe we would leave and go back to the United States, that there was no evidence we would leave. Since we could live in our car I believe she assumed we would want to stay the beloved country of Canada and not go back to the dreaded states. I’m not assuming all Canadians hate the U.S.... but some might. Us not being in school, not having jobs and still living with our parents also did not help the situation. You wanna know what convinced her, Kember saying we plan to be in Seattle for Halloween... Us saying we are going to a party and dressing up really got her¿ So we were free to enter. We planned to hang around Vancouver for the day going to art museums, parks and whatever we could find. This is where I discovered I don’t like Canada... We found out the hard way you cannot park anywhere in the city. Like absolutely nowhere on the streets from 3pm-6pm some not even until 8. That was very annoying I must say. We ditched the museum idea for now and headed to the big Stanley Park. Get this! You have to pay for parking there!! Like what? It’s a park. Good job Canada, really great job on convincing people to not get up and walk around the park... I was very mad at this point. I mean obviously Kember and I parked and just hung around the car so we didn’t have to pay. This may look bad, but we don’t have enough money in our pockets to pay for a parking spot everywhere we go. We left the park before 6 to snag the hot parking spots downtown. We realized we had fallen into a predicament, we had no change for the parking meters. Totally forgot Canada had dollar coins! Such a great country now that I realized that. Went into a Subway and asked for change, she didn’t even make me buy something!! Such a nice lady. This is where Canada started being good to us, kinda. Well just wait, after this next part, then she’s good to us. We were debating on parking in a parking garage so we wouldn’t have to keep filling the meter. Although as we drove down into this lovely garage. The top of our car hit the roof. That was definitely a fun experience. Having to back up a steep him ripping up the pipes from the ceiling. Thankfully we only had a few spectators. Anyway we got out of there and realized we were forced to park on the street. All parked and paid for, we were off to the museum. I really didn’t want to pay 24 bucks each to walk around and see art. But get this!!! Tuesday is “suggested donation” of course we asked the man behind the desk if we had to give any money and he said yes because 0 isn’t a donation. We gave 50 cents each. I know tell me about it. So generous. Honestly this was the worst museum I have ever been to, Kember agreed. The whole first floor was like royalty fashion, I know guys… My favorite!!! Shockingly enough that actually was not the highlight of this not so great museum. They had one cool room that was a huge stereo system build out of wood. That anyone could come and play their own records and just chill there. We were about to leave unsatisfied until I discovered this hidden gem. So glad I did otherwise that dollar I spent went to waste!! We hung out in there for a bit and headed out back onto the streets. We landed at this very cool bar restaurant, watched the baseball game there which was as pretty fun. Haven’t watched tv in a month, kinda just got used to it. Never really watched tv in general, would sometimes binge watch NCIS for a day every now and then. Back to present day I won’t spoil the end of the game for anyone who went to bed before the ending... Anyway, hung out there for awhile. Then we walked around for a bit after that. Ever since then Canada has been pretty good to us. We are now on a hike, I’m sitting in a gazebo writing in my notes app. I will go now to finish this beautiful hike thought this forest and I’ll pick back up when we are in the car heading to take a ferry. We stopped to check out this clock that blows out steam or something like that every 15 minutes... fascinating. We were in this very sketchy town, was not a big fan of it at all. I had my army backpack on so everyone was obviously scared of me because of that. I’ll maybe write another one on just this little town. This was just to be a quick update¿ Soo yeah... we are in Canada now. Definitely not as great as I thought it would be. I’ve been to Canada a few times now and it has all been east. All those experiences have been great, then again, I wasn’t living in a small van in those days. Aah the good ol’ days:) Anyway hope you are having a good day! I’ve seen a lot of people who have been doing drugs on the street today. So message of the day is “hugs not drugs. Kember and I have a serious problem when it comes to buying stuff at thrift stores... I know I talked about consumerism and minimalism a few days ago but damn it's hard. I mean for me I usually don't end up buying something for myself because I don't want to spend money... I think its funny how much value we put onto a piece of paper or a coin.
I have been saving up money since at least the age of 12 when I had my first job. Honestly I have had several "jobs" since then. If you have ever met my mom I am sure she has had to of mentioned me being a mason, painter, working for my dad and her, you name it... I have probably done at one time or another. If you haven't heard these lovely stories of little Greta and her thinking physical labor is fun (definitely not anymore as much) ask any of my family members about it. So I have had all these job yet something about spending money isn't easy for me, never has been. Even as a kid I believe, of course I asked for things, you know your basic kid who asks Mom and Dad for everything. Although I feel I grew out of that phase pretty early, I never felt this object in my hand was worth the price tag on it . I am not sure how I got onto this topic but I went with it. I have a deeper meaning in my head of why I do this but I feel it is better if I keep my deepest thoughts off this blog, at least for now. Back to Kember and I buying stuff, we have gotten a lot of books since we left, well actually I have bought one... We were at a thrift store in a town in Washington called Leavenworth. It felt like fairytale as we walked the streets, the whole town is German themed and I mean they go ALL out. All the buildings and founts have that classic German feel to it. Thor, Kember and I both agreed you would love it here, German night every night! (Insert unnecessary facts about my family here). You're welcome in advance.... My dad enjoys doing this thing where he invites his friends over and makes a German themed dinner. It is a good idea no doubt, although I think he could work a little hard on it. I suggest getting dressed up... Dad I think you look exceptional in some good ol' lederhosen. This little town can do it why can't we? I think we can bring all this fun back home to Fairfield. This town did feel very weird, that people actually live there full time... We wondered if you get trapped in a fairytale, that when you go absolutely anywhere else in this world (besides real Germany) it is nothing close to that lifestyle or look. I mean for god sake the McDonalds and Starbucks were all decked out, I bet they both sold German sausages and a whole bunch of beer. Sadly we did not check them out, we ended up getting some lunch at what seemed like the hotspot of the town. It's Octoberfest so it was very crowded although I have this feeling it's kinda that way year round. So we stopped at this place for lunch and we were more than pleased I have to admit the pretzel we had, was nothing close to the real deal in Germany. We also didn't have any Haribo gummy bears but I would assume they probably wouldn't be as great as the ones from a vending machine in the German train station. Classic family memories! Now that you guys know everything about this lovely town we were in and what we did, I can get back to this book I bought. It is called The Impossibles Lives of Greta Wells I mean come on! How could I not buy this book for a buck, well a dollar and a few cents thanks to tax, but you get the point! My name is on the cover, it was the first book I saw as I stood in front of a whole wall. I mean it has to be meant to be. Anyway I bought the book and have yet to read more than 3 pages but we will see how it goes. Hopefully myself in the book lives up to my expectations. I told Kember after I finish reading the book I would glue all the pages together so no one could read it... Then it really is the IMPOSSIBLE lives of Greta. HA I know hilarious. Well I guess that is what I wanted to write about while I sit in Seattle at a friends house. The last day and a half here have been pretty great. We have a lot planned for the next few weeks and I can't help but be giddy about all of it. I forget on a daily basis that all my friends are off at school actually doing work, yet here I sit getting to travel and see things I have never got to experience before. Plus I have all the time in the world to do the two things I love most, read and write. So not a very deep in thought blog post today, just catching you up on what we have been up to. I hope you are having a great day. My message for today is: Go out there and tell your Mom you love her:) I have been reading this book my teacher gave me called Man's Search for Meaning, By Viktor Frankl. She gave it to me before I left for this road trip, I like to believe as a parting gift. I feel like I can’t continue my point of this story without mentioning how important of a role this teacher has been in my life. That I had her for the last 2 years of my high school English career. I say career because at times I felt like I had a job, quite an easy job honestly, it was to simply absorb myself in as many books possible.
Ever since 7th grade I would go back and forth with loving books and reading a book or two a week to not reading for months. Junior year my English teacher Mrs. Seltenreich created a challenge for us. We all got an index card that was posted to the wall andas we finished a book we would write the title on it. I filled up two, after a while I admit I stopped writing on the cards... Didn't want to show off ya know. Kidding, I wish I wrote down more of the books I have read over the years. At least just to keep track of them. I believe I read 26 books from the day she handed me the card (around January) to the end of the school year. She gave me this motivation to read as much as possible. I mean she did say the person with the most books would “get a prize” at the end of the year. Which never happened, so Mrs. Seltenreich I’m looking for my prize. No I honestly think I will take all you have taught me about English and life in general, this book and the relationship we have over any prize. That I will take my relationship with all the teachers I got close with over anything. How could you not be motivated and inspired by all the people in the world that go to work everyday to better and educate the future. That everything they do is to help a child. I can never look past that, teachers go out of their way constantly to help a child grow, to be their own person, to create their own path. I could go on a rant about the teachers I have met over the years but I will cut myself short here. I wanted to talk to you about this book I am reading, how powerful it has been. There is this quote on page 77 of the book; I believe I will never forget the page number or the words written on it for the rest of my life. “That it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.” These words stuck with me and continue to make me think, what this world expects from me. Who my life wants me to be, as if it is a puzzle or a maze. Not that you have to only pick the correct doors, that you aren’t allowed to make mistakes. I don’t believe that’s the point of the quote. That everything you are doing right now or that you will do in the future, it is getting you to the end person you will be. Each day and each step you take is getting you to be the person you are. I have said this before that the only thing that matters is: who you are today and who you want to be tomorrow. Those are words I continue to think about and live by, I am not sure when they popped into my head but I’m glad they did. This book continues to question my thoughts, to challenge me. I have always been one to accept a challenge and see it through to the end. I have yet to finish this book and I have never been one to take my time with books, although this one is different. I mean the title says it all, a search for meaning. This is something I have tried so hard to find in my life. To find what I am passionate about, what and who brings meaning to my life. This book is about a man's challenges and struggles throughout his World War II concentration camp experiences. It is a book that is full of pain yet all throughout it talks about accepting one's fate. It is a tough one to explain, I tired to explain this quote to my sister but I failed to find the correct words of how I felt, that is the case now as well. That these authors words will affect everyone differently, but with each page I turn I feel I see a new light, a new perspective on all around me. That millions of people have or have had it worse, that some problems are not as big as they seem. I need to slow down and take it one step at a time. To live in the moment, to accept what is ahead of me, not turn my back and avoid confrontation. Face everything, to stop expecting something from life, that in reality it is life that is expecting something from me. So what is life expecting from me? I am not sure yet, I am okay with that unknown for right now. That it may never be an a question I could fully answer, just something I could work towards each and everyday. Maybe these words I wrote or the quote by Frankl, will make you think about your own life for a moment in time. So I ask: What is life expecting from you? *Disclaimer: So I wrote this awhile ago but haven't been able to post it... Currently in Washington right now. Our one month on the road is tomorrow/right now because its after midnight. All these moments honestly feel like so long ago yet it has just been a few days. Anyway enjoy the story just remember Not Yesterday! We got our belts changed yesterday, I’m sitting in the auto shop writing this. It’s kinda like the perfect expectation of an auto shop you see in a movie or something like that. I’m not talking about the cleanest and nicest equipment, but stuff everywhere. Wood paneling on the walls, dirt everywhere and there seems to be mysterious markings all over the walls that have been collecting over the years. I will of course explain what is all spread across the floor: wheel rims along with engines, one of those yellow buckets on wheels to mop the floor, boxes all over the place as well as a bunch of other car parts I have no idea the name or use of. If my writing doesn’t do this place justice I will insert a photo for y’all.  I hope this image explains the situation we were in... The guys who work here have been so incredibly nice to us. That we are two girls living in a 1989 Volkswagen and don’t have much knowledge about cars under our belts. I mean I can figure it out, where the gas goes… that’s the most important right? I know a bit about what’s under the hood of a car but not much. So these guys could easily take advantage of that situation, tell us stuff we need to get replaced or use big fancy car terms. Yet so far they haven’t.
I wrote that part yesterday while I sat in the auto shop like I said. Today we are waiting for them to change our coolant hoses. As we were waiting we decided to head over to the “downtown” which is just a bunch of big store chains. We chilled in a nice coffee shop for a few hours and headed across the busy 4 lane road that ran through this area to get some lunch. It was nice to have a chill day, spending hours reading and writing and just talking with Kember. After a full stomach of delicious Japanese food we headed to the good ol trusted Walmart to hangout in because we had another hour and half to kill before seeing our mothership Vandy. Kember is very excited for Halloween (we are are going to be aliens). I use “we” very and I mean very lightly. That she is going to dress up, I’ll explain that in a minute, while I dislike Halloween and dressing up. The last few years I have worn orange and black clothes and call it a night. I assume all of you want to know how insane I was when we got Kember’s costume. Do not worry, I will explain every tiny detail of the story… We were at a thrift store called Deseret Industry, it’s every thrift store on crack basically. They are everywhere in Utah and honestly seem like a regular store like Marshall’s although everything is cheap! Gotta love a good bargain. Anyway while we were in one of these stores Kember had their alien costume in mind and she happened to find absolutely everything she needed. I mean everything: a white space looking dress, a pink wig, a belt to add to the effect, even all white high boots! Like was not expecting that! Cross halloween costume off the check list and call it a night!! Aren't you guys glad you know about this Halloween idea, I know now your lives are complete knowing these great details in my life, just wait it gets better... Back to while we waited for the car we spent several minutes going back and forth of what makeup would go perfect with the outfit. Truth be told, I know nothing about makeup, never wear it, so I got tired and sat on the ground of this Walmart while she continued to pick. I of course helped to make the final decisions on what looked best but that’s really it. I’ll skip ahead a little bit, we got the car back around 4:30, said goodbye to our new buddies at Metric Motors and headed for Idaho. We spent a night at a truck stop because we decided to just drive and put a few miles behind us. We would have driven further but they guys we just met were persistent on being careful about that. We got up early this morning, Kember offered to let me sleep while she drove for about an hour. I was very excited about this, I had a horrible nights sleep, I guess I had a lot on my mind kid. Just like in Pennsylvania we had a problem with our throttle. I’ll skip all the details but we were pulled over on the side of the highway, with 18-wheelers and cars speeding past at 80mph. No joke that’s the speed limit here! I am used to 55 back home and Vandy barely being able to break 60. I would like to use this time to apologize to my mom. I didn’t technically lie to you. We were safe I did mean that, the car was fine, just a little bit not working. Didn’t want you to worry. I called our buddies back in Utah to let them know Mechanic Greta was up and running! Gretas Auto Shop is open for business so book your appointments now! I’ll already totally booked up until 2020. I must say, I take full credit of fixing the car and that made my day so far. 1. That the car is fixed and we can drive again. 2. That I actually did something!! Mom aren’t you proud? It has been fun to figure things out as we go, this trip is not only a bonding moment with my sister, a chance to see the country we live in, a time to learn about myself, most recently it has been also a time to learn about this old car we drive and all her little problems. So that’s my quick update, we are passing through Idaho now and headed straight to Oregon. My love for Idaho has definitely decreased a bit, I have yet to have potatoes, it has smelled like cows (I’ll let your imagination run wild with that one… gotta keep it PG) since the second we entered the state and then we break down. Getting some bad vibes. I have faith she will turn it around soon and make me fall in love very shortly. I’ll keep you updated don’t worry:) Have a great day! Go out there and learn about something new. Something you never thought you’d need or never thought you’d be interested in. You never know it might become a new passion of yours. It never hurts to learn something right? A good friend of mine says “the more you know, the less you have to learn.” That’s something I’ll never forget, I guess it's time to know more! I have always been intrigued by minimalism and life on the road. I have lost count of the articles I have read or documentaries I have seen about these topics. That each and everyones experience with minimalism or living on the road are so different. You don't have to live on the road to be a minimalist, although I believe you have to be a minimalist to live on the road and travel. I think those go hand in hand.
That living in a small space is challenging but I have always wanted a challenge, I have searched for something like this. I think in some aspects I am a minimalist, that I only buy things I know I need, or that I basically wear the same 15 outfits just in a cycle. That I could get rid of the majority of my closet because I don’t wear half the stuff in it anyway. Although I feel like that’s the case for everyone on this planet… We have more stuff than we know what to do with. We fill our homes with “stuff” or “junk” when our basements or attics are full we get storage units to hold more of these unnecessary items. That so much in our lives we are surrounded by each and every day have no value to us. Weeks, months, years can go by without even acknowledging half of the items we own. Honestly I believe we easily forget the things we own, especially when it comes to clothes. (Sorry to call you out Mom…) I have seen my Mom purchase the same looking shoes dozens of times because she will say “Oh I don’t have a pair that look like this.” While if you look in her closest or the bin of shoes in our basement you could easily say otherwise. When I go shopping with friends I am always so lost in these stores: Forever 21, H&M, Brandy Melville, Urban Outfitters, these are all popular stores for teens and young adults and the best at getting people to buy and buy. I do this to, that every thrift store I am at I always find myself leaving with another t-shirt or hoodie, for anyone who knows me, I could wear a different hoodie everyday for at least a month. So I am a victim of this consumerism as well. I am not looking down at people and being like “how can you be so blind” or sh*t like that. It’s the world we live it, companies and magazines are very smart. They know how to sell, know how to keep switching the trends to make you feel the need to buy more. We live in a “I need” kind of world. Anyway my point in all of this is I want to live a life where I only have the bare minimum. I believe it could feel so freeing, to only have things that we care about. It’s a funny thing, that at times I really do believe I could get rid of all the crap in my room. But it’s the sentimental value we attach ourselves to everything. That I have so many memories on a magnet board for instance, I have a receipt from McDonalds order 222 that my friend Justin gave me. I wasn’t even with him when he got this order, but he knows that it is my favorite number. That in the moment he kept it and gave it to me because he knew I would smile at it. He probably did not think I would keep it… because let's be real who hangs a McDonald's receipt in their room? I guess I am that 1 out of 7 billion who would. I have a very strong passionate love for the golden arches. I have this crazy built up sentiment for this piece of paper that millions of people would just throw out. Me saying this proves the challenges with being a minimalist. Although I don’t think there has to be strict rules to consider yourself as one. That if you only keep the things that bring you joy or have a meaning in your life, I feel it could make us all happier in general. That the amount of unused items in our lives bring an unneeded stress. I am not telling you all to go throw out all your shoes or all the boxes in your basement. Maybe just take a moment and look around your room, think of all the things you use and all the stuff you don’t. I constantly keep my room clean and if I see I haven’t used something or if I can see myself detaching from it. I simply throw it away and don’t look back. This whole idea of living on the road keeps me on my toes and keeps me engaged. It is like a constant rush of adrenaline, that this home on wheels is your everything. It is a hard thing to understand but this small yet steadily increasing community gets it. They understand how when you are away from this small home of yours for too long you miss it. That everything in this metal vehicle is important to you. That is the life I want to live, and yes maybe I won’t be living in a van forever;I hope when I am older that everything found inside 4 walls of a home, are important to me. I don’t want to fill my house with stuff I forget about in weeks passing. Maybe this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, that maybe it is just me wanting to be different but I think it’s more than that. That it is me searching for a more simpler life, one without all this stress. Stress that consumerism brings on all of us. These are my thoughts at midnight as I laying parked at a truck stop still in Utah. I know this won’t change your lifestyle, I mean how could it? But maybe it will make you think about this world we live in. That we live to buy. A friend asked me the other day, "where do you see us/yourself/me in 5 years?"
Has anyone asked you this question before? No has for me, it honestly sent chills down my back. I have always struggled with looking into the future, I can't really see anything. It is all just blurry to me. I have no clue where I will be in 5 years, who my friends will be, what job I will have. One thing I am almost sure about is the type of person I will be; I will continue to care about everyone around me, want to give as much as I have and continue to grow to be the best person I could be. But how can I predict where we will be? I can have an educated guess of what you will be up to when you are 24 years old. Yet who knows, I can't predict someone else's future anymore than anyone can predict mine. I wanted to answer this question so badly for my friend but I just couldn’t. That maybe as you grow older it is easier to predict your future. That you will more or less be doing the same thing, that your goals will be to get that promotion or buy that car you have always wanted. But at age 18 your life is changing so much that how could anyone know where they will be in the next 5 years. They can assume they will have a college degree and just find the first job they can after college. That’s really it. I hope one day I will be better at looking at my future, that I have an answer for someone who asks me. Maybe I do have that answer already, but I am too afraid to share it. What if I fall short? What would I look like then? If I tell someone my dreams for myself in 5 years and they don’t come true then what? A lot of the time when I write I have no plan, I use writing as a break from my mind. I write or type words onto a page and give my mind sometime to look over them, to understand all that is running through my head. All my words have meaning to me, that every word I write is helping me solve a puzzle in my own head. So as I write and as you read these words, we are figuring out everything together basically. I do have dreams of what I want to be and what I want to study. That I know what I am good at or what I am passionate about. These things are simply helping others, I love being around kids and teaching, I love to study english and psychology. Yes I have goals for myself in the future, that I know what I want and who I want to be. Although I continue to struggle with looking into the future. I see myself with a lot of the people I am with now, that I will continue to love a lot of them and want to do anything I can to make them smile. That part of me won't change in the next 5 years. I hope that I will continue you to see the positive things, continue surrounding myself with people that push me to be better and that make me happier. Ever since my friend asked me where I see us/yourself/myself in 5 years I have been thinking nonstop about it. I am pushing myself to think about things. Yes it is very vague and I just have a few pinpoints put together but for me that's a start. A week ago I never thought about it before, about the future, but now I think I have made great progress. I wonder if the person asking the question affects your answer. That if my mom asked me this question, someone I know who will always be in my life what my answer would be like. That this person who asked me, very well might not be in my life in 5 years or even the next year. So I wonder if that changed my answer to the question… I guess now in 5 years I will have to look back on this blog I started and read about it. I basically put no exact points of where I will be in 5 years because like I said I have no idea, but it would be funny to see what my thoughts were when I was 17 as I look back as 22 year old. So to my future self, I hope all is well in your life. I hope you figured out who the important people are and stuck with them. Are you happy with whatever it is you are doing? Did you achieve my goals, to help people in anyway that you can? Whether you are studying psychology, english, teaching kids or a job I never predicted... I know you are doing the right thing for you, for me, for us. That the person you are right now is someone I am going to be proud to be, someone I worked hard on becoming. |
AuthorGreta Ann Vanderblue. Archives
January 2023
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