Positive Atmosphere

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Normal? Good?

As I write this from my $6/night bungalow, RIGHT on the beach in Ko Phangan, Thailand, with my $6/day scooter in the driveway, and thinking about riding to town for my $3 dinner, it's hard to imagine a land of big mortgages, corporate jobs with 2 week vacations, and $7+ martinis. Today I rode my scooter down some sketchy dirt roads, climbed down an AMAZING waterfall to a beach with no one on it. We were thirsty/hungry so I climbed a coconut tree and tossed a couple down. There was so much juice we could barely drink it all.

Henry David Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond, photos by Namlhots

I've also been reading Thoreau's "Walden" on this trip, where he questions "normal", and talks about people working all their lives to pay off their homes or farms. He went out and built a 10x15 foot shack in a couple months for the cost of about a month's wages, and a couple months of his own labor. He lived there for a couple years.

I've recently rented out my house, moved in a room at a friends, which drastically cut my expenses (probably about 1/2 of what they were, maybe less). Now I'm sorta hooked, and thinking about buying a van to roam the U.S. in while visiting friends and making new ones. CHOOSING TO LIVE IN A VAN?! Yeah, maybe.

I've heard it said that wealth is the amount of time you can go without working, or the percentage of time you spend doing exactly what you want to with who you choose to. That makes a lot of sense to me.

So, I guess the point of these ramblings is so I can read this and reflect later, maybe from my van. And hopefully you get something out of it too. Like, maybe, as you're climbing that ladder you may be on, look up to see if it's leaning on the right wall :)

All the best,

Dan O'

Tags: expenses, house, paying, time, walden, wealth, work

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Comment by Dan O'Donnell on March 23, 2012 at 9:05pm: Yeah Rich, I don't think Thoreau had a family, and I don't think I have kids either ;), so it's easy for the single guy to say live simple and free. JayJay, sounds like I may bump into you on a beach someday. Have a great weekend you guys.

Comment by Rich on March 22, 2012 at 2:12am: Interesting and thought provoking post Dan'O and one that holds a lot of resonance with myself but although on the surface the idea sounds great i think there's a time when other realities become a factor - i.e. a steady income stream, planning a future with a family and where you'll all live, planning a retirement fund, do you want your children to grow up close to their grandparents those kind of realities. I'm all for a simplistic, low cost, low hassle lifestyle but I think the realities of it are that it's not that simple for many.

I do appreciate the essence of your post with regards to challenging the accepted norms placed on us by society, this is a healthy think to do at least.

Either way it sounds like you're having a fantastic trip Dan'O, which is great :)

Rich

Comment by JayJay Sketch Cee-Low on March 22, 2012 at 1:13am: We live life very similar my friend. I love the unknown random adventures life throws at you once you step outside your so-called "comfort zone." To me, this is the only way to live, meaning, without fear and definitely no regrets :)