On Saturday 2-12-11 I drove down to Beverly Hills, California to buy my starter home for a grand total of $2100, cash! My purchase was built in 1990 and manufactured by Dodge, though I never thought I'd own a Dodge again, it seems to have happened..maybe so I can get it right this time.
In case I forgot to mention the reason my home was so cheap has nothing to do with the decline in the housing market since 2007 but more to do with the fact that its a VAN!
Everybody and anybody who has known me since late 2008 has known that I've been feverishly sick about living in a van since around that time, hell I even purchased a 2000 Dodge Ram 3500 maxi van to do the trick back in 2009, though the purchase of that vehicle lead to making a wonderful friend, making me some money and even a trip up to Michigan in the autumn of 2009, it never served the purpose I was intending for it. When I sold the 2000 Ram I slipped even further into depression feeling my dreams had been crushed. I then realized that when the time was right I would purchase another van and actually make it happen!
I was hoping to buy a Class B RV(fully self contained van conversion really)but after seeing the prices on these anywhere from $6500(low end) to $95,000(high end) I was a bit concerned. I don't have even enough cash to buy anything on the low end. So what did I do? I did what every other person does while getting fucked by a system that threw us overboard 40 years ago, I settled.
I settled for a few things I normally would never settle for...a van that is not fully self contained, a van that is not extended with the extra four feet I'd love to have, a 5.2L Dodge(way underpowered compared to the powerful 5.9L)...did I mention it was a Dodge?
Either way I am rather pleased with my purchase and thankful that I was able to make it, buying this van can lead to me living a life of material simplicity that I have been striving for, allowing me to travel to all of the wonders I'd love to see, assisting me in not paying a landlord tons of money for a place in some crowded suburbs and best of all keeping me away from buying a home in this modern world we inhabit...you know, the house you live in that you never fucking own.
I don't have to listen to the town ordnance tell me to keep my grass cut, or that I can only have 3 cars on my driveway, that I have to have garbage disposal or else I'll be fined, that I don't have to pay property taxes for shit I don't agree with, I don't get to "own" a small piece of land...instead the whole world is my backyard and in the way it was intended to be, SHARED BY EVERYONE!(I'd like to thank the REAL Americans(better known as Native Americans) for this bit of insight). There are some luxuries I will miss from living in a house, no doubt. All that matters to me is that I do this, I feel I would regret it if I never gave this lifestyle a shot.
I look forward to the excitement of what this lifestyle will bring, I look forward to the simplicity, the nature I will be able to engulf myself in on a daily basis, the people I will meet, the roads I will be taken down(both literally and spiritually), the knowledge that I don't need a lot of space or tons of cash to live the life I want. To exit society as much as possible and find balance in the real world that was here long before we scarred it hoping never to have to return to the rat race or regular everyday "normal" lifestyle of the 9-5 person.
Although it's uncertain just how long my va(n)gabonding will ensue, one thing is almost certain when it comes to my beliefs and feelings...
My spirit remains free only when it isn't weighted by society and our worlds culture. This is just the physical step to assist in that spiritual, mental and emotional journey into disconnecting and unplugging from the illusion that we have created as I move into connecting with the reality of the world that has been forgotten and is needed now more than ever for any soul to truly live life.
This is my first step into my own adulthood, I'm getting that scared and fearful feeling that hits right before the leap of faith is taken. I can and will do this...my spirit and life depends on it.
Thank You.
Written: Big Bear Lake, California 2011
Get yourself a coffee can & you will be pretty much self contained. Your new Dodge Van is awesome; however, I'm with you 100% - change the name!
ReplyDeleteI will say the same prayer for you that I say for myself since I am also a road tripper: Dear God, please don't let gas get so pricy that I can't move on!