Many friends have a good bit to say about the decision to live in the back of a truck for the rest of my life. Acquaintances, too. They all pipe right up with advice and cautions and fears.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Well, sometimes, yes. It passes. Less now that when I was 20.

“What if you broke your leg?” I don’t know. I will have to find out when I break my leg for the first time in 66 years.

“What if …(insert some horrible calamity)? I don’t know. I can tell you how I have gotten out of troublesome situations in the past. At least how I remember them. I have no idea how I will behave in the future. Maybe I will find out. Maybe everything will be so mellow that I will never know.

“What if your car breaks down?”  Vehicles do have trouble. If I maintain the truck it shouldn’t be a problem.

Many people insist that I need “x” to be safe or happy or productive. There is a minimalist list of must haves (the essentials list). I need less than most people to be happy and fulfilled. No tv. No movies. Yes to books and writing paper and writing implements. I do not need a shower or toilet. I have read “How to Shit in the Woods“. There is no need for a firearm, I will have a 900 lumen led flashlight. I do not need a job (see finances).

No one has asked about the free time … the unstructured time. What a natural high. No one asks about the fun, or what I will be doing to occupy time. What friends may not realize is that I have been practicing all of my life for this journey. (see about)