3,000 Miles To Grow

[3000milestogrow]

35 was absolutely bananas. The ups, the downs, the twist and turns, the revelations, the wonderment, the experimentation, the love, the suffering, the overcoming…an absolute blitzkrieg of bittersweet, wonderful, beautiful, terrifying, blissful chaos. I met a woman on a mountain, and we sped off into the American night like Bonnie and Clyde. We managed to live in four states and found ourselves finishing off my thirty-fifth year on this planet at The Grand Canyon. Sometimes I think it best to slow down, to take it easy awhile and rest up, but the sheer madness of it all keeps me in a constant state of discomfort, which also means that I’m constantly growing and developing, almost subconsciously. It’s a bit addictive. Year 36 needs to be about balance. I began this crazy journey of nomadism six short years ago, and I’ve fallen off the path several times chasing whatever meaning I can find in the darkness of the unknown. Maybe that’s what this whole thing is about, but at thirty-six I find myself craving some temperance, some structure, and discipline. My life is calamity. I’m not sure I could have it any other way, but it’s going to require balance to find some order in all the chaos. A bit of solitude out by this big, giant hole in the ground might do me some good… The Apostle Paul says it best: Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Age gracefully with reckless abandon, and #beachampiontoday ✌🏻+❤️ #rhodeisland #florida #texas #arizona #godislove #nomad #wanderer #freedom #itsmybirthday (at Grand Canyon National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CitW_bspFkz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” - Cicero (at Grand Canyon National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiFs9IWP7S-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

You want to quit that job you hate? Just do it. You want to grow out that crazy mustache and that scrappy beard? Just do it. You want to live in the mountains for a year and then the desert for the next? Well do it, then. You want to embrace the unknown and follow your heart? Yup, you really gotta do it. #beachampiontoday ✌🏻+❤️ #artwilliams #justdoit #grandcanyon #bearded #nomad #freedom #dreamchaser #kerouac #bukowski #huntersthompson #arizona #sunrise #gohikethecanyon #nationalparks #comeasyouare #growth #development #lifestyle #wanderer #catchmeifyoucan (at Grand Canyon National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChL-NNMOwY-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

#grandcanyon #arizona #usa #merica #freedom #mywayisthehighway #nomad #homeiswhereyoumakeit #everywhereman #traveller https://www.instagram.com/p/CePnQO5FOrf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

One year together already? Just one? And our one year mark is the day we settle into our new home at the Grand Canyon, marking the 5th state we’ve lived in together. Thousands of miles traveled. Countless states driven through and explored. We’ve shared moments in the mountains of Wyoming, by the food trucks in Houston, the beaches of Florida, and the salty coast of my hometown in New England. We’ve seen the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Boston Harbor, the Gateway Arch, the Rocky Mountains, and so much more. We’ve wandered the streets of Denver, Tampa, Indianapolis, San Antonio, St. Louis, Boston, Houston, and New Orleans without any signs of slowing down. We’ve prospered and we’ve suffered together. We had COVID together. We slept in the car when we had nowhere else to go. We sat on balconies by beautiful oceans and watched the sun go down. We sat in the mountains and gazed into purple skies while we listened to the sound of silence. We’ve lived a lifetime of experiences already, and we’ve only been together for one year. It’s rare to find someone who’s going where you’re going. We’ve got nowhere to be, and plenty of time to get there. My partner in crime. My better half. My ride or die. My biggest supporter. The Bonnie to my Clyde. Sinatra says it better than I ever could: “The best is yet to come, and babe won’t that be fine?” We would’ve never made it this far if you didn’t perfectly embody what it means to #beachampiontoday. ✌🏻+❤️ (at Flagstaff, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdlSVj_L-PK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

“If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.” Charles Bukowski, Factotum #denver #colorado #roadtrip #ontheroad #slowride #takeiteasy #nomadic #wanderer #wandering #wherevertheroadtakesyou #goalltheway #bukowski #factotum (at Denver, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cde-QOsMLBz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

#stlouis #stlouismissouri #missouri #america #nomad #roadtrip #sightseer #weouthere #ontheroad (at St. Louis, Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdZa0lSM8PQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

#indianapolis #indiana #indy #indianapoliscanal #nomad #travel #traveler #nomadic #freedom #godisgood #ontheroad #kerouac (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdZaiMbME6c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

#niagarafalls #newyork #roadtrip #nomad #nomadic #freedom #ontheroad #kerouac #travel #godisgood (at Niagara Falls, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdZaSIEMPL_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

“What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” Jack Kerouac, On the Road #grandcanyon #roadtrip #roadtrippers #nomad #nomadic #freedom #adventuretime #weouthere #minimalist #wander #truthseeker #adventurer #kerouac #jackkerouac #ontheroad #youcantcatchme #imthegingerbeardman (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdJ6pZDsMal/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

Chaos brought us together, so we continue to embrace it… #hisandhers #hersandmine @nativebaee #rideordie #nomads (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGwIeKOjuk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

This was a moment in time I’ll never forget. This particular day of nomadic enlightenment was one of the hardest hitting in terms of not so subtle realization. I remembered the conversations I had with friends and family before embarking on this lifestyle, really trying to listen to all of the thoughts and opinions in an attempt to gauge what might be set before me. Which way should I go? What should I see? Will I be safe? How much money will it cost? Etc. Etc. Etc… I remember people telling me that there was nothing to see in places like #nebraska, #indiana, and many more. But, on this day, I found myself whipping through Lincoln, Nebraska and had to pull over on the side of the road in a cornfield and lay out on the hood of the Caddy, just to embrace the beauty and the magnitude of an enormous sky to the likes of which I had never really gotten to see, let alone appreciate. Those people who were developing opinions on this place, this adventure, this lifestyle, etc., they were merely shouting their fears, insecurities, and ignorance. Not to be malicious or undermining, but to make an effort to find understanding and clarity about the unknown. A moment in time like this can do things to a man. They can change him. They can usher in a new way of thinking, a new mind, a new level of determination, but most importantly, a new level of compassion and understanding. We have an old expression in #NewEngland that goes “you make a bettah door than a windah!”, and I’ve taken to this age old adage to remind me that most of the people in my life will think it’s better to keep me safe and protected behind a locked door than it will be to let me gaze out the window into an unknown that fills me with wonder and curiosity. We don’t know why we do this, although it’s easy to speculate as to why, and one day when we find ourselves relishing a moment in our life that we were told we were being kept safe from, that we were being protected from, we can see that the only reason we get to relish it at all is because we chose not to sit safely in the corner of protective ignorance and endure patiently a life we never wanted. #beachampiontoday ✌🏻+❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGY9DKumML/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

#TBT Of the best moments of my life… #lakemichigan #greatlakes #michigan #sunset #nomad #nomadic #aroundtheworld #roadtrip #traveller #kerouac #ontheroad #cadillacats #america #americanmade #bukowski #factotum #minimalist #minimalism https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEysYgskS6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

#TBT The first time I ever laid eyes on the #grandcanyon I was plummeting to the earth after jumping out of a plane… #photooftheday #lifestyle #outdoors #backpacking #travellife #nomadiclife #globetrotter #art #vanlifediaries #traveladdict #campervan #nomadic #landscape #travelblog #tinyhouse #backpacker #ontheroad #world #solotravel #tinyhome #holiday #boondocking #follow #beautiful #freedom #skoolie #nomads #homeonwheels (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEx3CxMrNk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

“Don't it seems so strange How it just don't change Things just stay the same as they've always been Some of us are out to win And some of us are out just to aim…” Terry Reid - To Be Treated Right (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEv45oMLiM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

This quote tho…perspective is everything. The perception we have our own life, of ourselves individually, of our trials, tribulations, and circumstances…it’s all we really have. If you had any idea how many people, who thoughtlessly pursue capitalistic gain in the pursuit of the “American dream”, will embrace my lifestyle as a nomad and mindlessly tell me how they “wish they could do that” would alarm you. How could you chase a career, a steady pay wage, a mortgage, and a retirement plan and then tell someone that you wish to live like them whilst they are living without a home address, well below the poverty line, and without a safe and secure future that will hold them down when they’re old? It’s all about perspective. I don’t see poverty the way these people do anymore. I don’t see homelessness as these people do anymore. I don’t look at $30k per year and crumble under the realization that it isn’t the proper socioeconomic status for a 35 year old man. I’ve lived both lives, so I can say, honestly and earnestly, that I have perspective. Have you ever laid it all down on the line to pursue all that which is meaningful? Did you choose that accent that you have, or was it delivered unto you by your cultural surroundings? You really didn’t have a choice in the matter. Most people are living lives of quiet desperation as they allow the common cultural idealism of their particular geographical location to dictate all that they are, and without new perspective, they will always be chained to ideology, and not necessarily the deep and meaningful pursuit of something outside the box or uncommon within their frame of cultural reference. If you can have an accent merely because of your geographical location, what makes you think you aren’t possessed and driven by that same entity to pursue what it dictates to you? Major media outlets and ideologues will use homeless and poverty statistics to push narratives, and yet here I am telling you that I fall into both of these categories, and love my life. Be willing to shift perspective, to grow and develop outside of your fishbowl, and #beachampiontoday. ✌🏻+❤️ (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdA7n7nO58x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[3000milestogrow]

The number one question most people ask me: “do you think you’ll ever get sick of being nomadic?” It’s a tough question to answer. I have to face facts and realize that I too will get old one day, but I also know that I’ve managed to never grow up by remaining in a life that is nothing short of a fairytale. My life has no limits. There are no brick walls, no stalemates…only the open road and the next great adventure. Maybe I’m addicted to it. Maybe it’s my calling. Maybe it’s my purpose. Who knows…What I do know is that life continues to pull me in directions that I no longer fear to go. The wind blows in such a way that it grips me and whispers to me where it thinks I should go next. I have an itch that cannot be scratched, a hole that cannot be filled, and not a day goes by that I don’t relentlessly pursue the “holy grail” of understanding and wisdom. I’ve met far too many people who called their shots to early, and now live with regret. I’ve met far too many people who will never know that funny smell that comes off the Atlantic Ocean in Maine on a hot summers day. Far too many people who have never paced the wal-mart in south side Chicago just to sit in truth for a moment, without ushering in every preconceived notion they’ve ever been fed. I’ve met far too many people who will dream the greatest dreams you’ve ever heard articulated by the human mind, only to follow such notions with a million excuses as to why it could never be done. I can’t live with regret. I can’t live with questions. I can’t go on knowing that all I am is nothing more than a vessel that has sold its soul to pay bills and die. This nomad life is hard. It truly, truly is. Safety, stability, and security are non-factors. We live as we go, not necessarily as we please. We take the moments, people, and places we’re grateful for and stash them up in a certain “401k” of our own, and allow them to inspire and motivate us to find the next batch of wonderful memories that can only be found with an air of gratitude whilst we trudge through into the next unknown. Win or lose, live or die, fail or succeed, find your holy grail, chase it with every dying breath, and #beachampiontoday. ✌🏻+❤️ (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc6t5tqsNwP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=