Van Life Looms

The time has come. A time I never truly thought would arrive. We've talked about it for years now and it was always a distant dream. Buy a van, do it up, live in it. Until now, I never really thought too deeply about the practicality of the whole thing because I'm not sure I ever truly believed it would eventuate. A little like when I moved to London at 18. Everyone asked me how I gathered the guts to do it and I really think it came down to me not thinking too much about the implications. I just went. Now though, a little older and a little more sensible, the realism of van life rapidly approaching is playing on my mind.

Where will be park each night? What if we get in trouble for parking somewhere we shouldn't? What if I can't sleep? What if it's too hot? What if it's too cold? What if there are too many holiday-makers ruining our serenity? What if I hate it?

It's very easy to get caught up in future hypotheticals and listen to my heart beat rapidly against my ribs. It's easy to feel the tightness in my chest that comes with worry and seems to arrive much easier these days than it used to. So, I'm setting myself a little challenge for these next few months and it's pretty simple. Try my darnedest to stay in the moment. To breath deeply and worry more about me than what's going on around me. To be more like my 18 year old self and just GO!

Tomorrow, we board a plane bound for Melbourne, like we have done so many times before. Only this time, things are a little different. Our car will be on the Gold Coast. We don't have a house to race home to. Our jobs are not waiting for us. This time, we arrive at 1am and will call an Uber. When the driver asks us where we are headed, we will direct them to a Ford Transit van, parked on the side of the road in Coburg North. We will climb inside and lay our heads down in what will be our home for the coming two months and I'll begin to develop a mantra I hope will help me settle.

I promise to feel the sand between my toes and breath the salty air deep into my lungs.

I promise to worry less about what others around me are thinking.

I promise to be in the moment.

I promise to be grateful.

I promise to play.

I promise to be still.

Van life...I'm coming for you!