So, I had my proverbial West:
Curiosity, compassion, community.
Making things: art, music, merriment…
a living…
a difference.
I thought about what I wanted my life to look like. What do I want to spend my time doing? What actions embody my values?
These answers are “the how” of traveling west. Instead of the “professor did it with the candlestick in the library,” you get to choose from a range of possibilities from various decks: how you travel, passengers, route, speed, luggage1, and the sights-to-see-or-avoid pile as you construct your choose your own adventure story. Sometimes all you have available is a rusty, broken down sedan. But you make it work. Or start walking.
I chucked some “want to do’s” out after realizing they weren’t a priority right now. Such as meandering the Mercado do Livramento 3-4 times a week, chatting leisurely with my favorite vendors, followed by whipping up fabulous, Instagram worthy meals.
Funny how some things don’t magically change when you change location. After all, I brought myself with me when I moved. So for now, that means embodying my value of investing in my community by supporting local restaurants and Glovo delivery drivers. And “for now” may become “forever” if it turns out that crockpots, like roller mops, don’t seem to exist here. Regardless, I’ll somehow find a way through such hardships.
I kept going with the questions. The answers became: Time with people I care about. In nature. With music. Exploring. Embracing Portuguese lunch hours (yes, plural!). Dismantling systems of oppression and inequality.
A cartoon bubble pops into my head as I re-read the last paragraph: a rollicking beach scene where I’m playing music, laughing, dancing, and discussing how we’re going to bring down capitalism (and the rest of the detrimental -ism’s for good measure) with a group of fabulous international friends, our kids, and Luna. Koombya without the cheesiness, good food (that I didn’t cook), good wine, and babel fish2 in our ears.
Wait a minute…that IS what I’m doing now! “Mas o menos” anyway. Sadly, minus the babel fish.
Don’t you love it when you doze off on a trip, then awake to find that you’re there?
But alas, you then remember the pesky problem of earning a living. More thinking…
Providing services for kiddos with autism and their families seemed like the obvious choice- meaningful, manageable, I love it, I’m good at it. I started taking a few half-hearted moves towards that, but I just wasn’t feeling excited about it. Life’s too short to spend a lot of time doing something you aren’t excited about- if you can help it. Yes, this is a privilege not everyone has. And no one has it all the time.
The safe, simple, and easy thing to do would be to buy a rental property. But that would provide a flatlined income, and not be very satisfying. Granted, your job/income source is only one part of your life. I recognize its rare, if not impossible, to find one thing (or person for that matter) that provides everything you need and want. Still…
I kept coming back to my growing desire to have an art studio. An actual studio. As in NOT my dining table. An artist friend and I started talking about finding a place we could work. This was followed by “Hey, why don’t we open a little gallery, a co-op, no not a co-op, how about…?” We started to grow the idea through long, thoughtful discussions. We were excited about the possibilities. Ultimately she ended up bowing out of the project in service to her own value of keeping life simple. Which I get.
I share and aspire to this value. But despite my best efforts, this is not happening. Luckily, I have a longtime friend riding on my proverbial westbound camper van with me, who is my go-to for conversations that start with “I have an idea and I need you to tell me if its crazy.” Or, “Why can’t I…(be more this, or less that).” She’ll say something like “That’s just not who you are,” with a shrug in her voice. Her simple words and matter of fact tone convey what I need most in that moment: I am who I am, there’s no need to be who I’m not. “Oh yeah, I forgot. Thanks! I love you too.”
The idea of an art space really got my motor running.
Is the thick growly sound of Steppenwolf floating through your mind now too? “Head out on the highway, looking for adventure, in whatever comes our way. Yeah darlin’ gonna make it happen, take the world in a love embrace.” Not bad advice.
The idea started as a studio for myself, and a gallery where other artists and I could show and sell our work. Next thing I knew, it grew into something much, much more.
Away we go!
Everyone is stuck with some sort of unwanted luggage. The more you curse and struggle with it, the heavier it gets. The harder you try to set it down, the more it sticks to you like a jumping cactus. I find the only solution is to welcome it to the party with compassion. Get it a drink, find a place for it to sit, then go back to your other guests.
For those who haven’t read “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Universe” by Douglas Adams, babel fish are little creatures you can put in your ear that will allow you to understand any spoken language in the universe.
I enjoy being a part of the journey as your friend… I know you’ll do great!
I have always wanted a babel fish in my ear! They would make traveling so convenient. And yes, instead of a babel fish now I have Steppenwolf in my ear.
I'm really enjoying reading your process as I go through my own. Hope to be living in Portugal, with my little dog Pip by the end of the year. Long live the journey!