The results are as varied as any home would be but I was personally quite taken with how Chaldea and Phil have outfitted their bus. Looking at the photos on their blog, it feels very “homey” – absolutely a place I’d like to call home myself. I liked it so much that several days after discovering their blog and leaving a nice comment, I returned and reached out to see if they’d be interested in doing some sort of guest post or interview so that others could discover their story and see their really cool bus home. Thus, what follows is a first for this site!

I’m borrowing their intro from their blog to introduce them further to you:

Chaldea is an organic vegetable farmer, banjo player, illustrator, and crafter. Phil is a lacto-fermenter, builder of many things, drummer, and vegan baker. We bought a school bus and we are turning it into a home for ourselves! These are the stories about it!

Question & Answer

What led you to choose to convert a bus into a home? Was there something/someone that influenced the decision?

Chaldea: I have been interested in the idea of living in a converted vehicle home since several years ago when I was traveling in Ireland and I stayed in a little caravan for a few weeks. During that visit I met a guy who traveled around in an ambulance converted into a camper, and another guy who was turning a huge horse trailer into a beautiful log cabin-like home for his wife and baby. I had never seen anything like this and I was so inspired. Then a year later a friend of mine converted a school bus into a home with her boyfriend, and I really wanted one of my own. When I met Phil and found out that he had always wanted to own a bus, it just made so much sense for us to do it together.

Phil: For me the idea of owning a bus came to me in high school, more as a utility/band vehicle than as a home. It has only been in the past few years, learning about sustainable living and alternative structures, that I began thinking about the possibilities of a bus/rv conversion. I think acquiring the skill-sets necessary to complete this project in the past few years allowed me to make it a reality (not to say that someone without building experience couldn’t figure this out with all the books available, we certainly used them extensively). The major event that precipitated the conversion was requiring a home structure to place on a farm property which was not our own.

Is this part of a history of unconventional choices or the beginning of it?

Chaldea: I think I’ve pretty much always been unconventional.

Phil: The conversion project has, in some ways, only begun my exploration into different ways of thinking about how to live. However, that being said I wouldn’t say I’ve been a ‘conventional’ thinker thus-far in my adult life either. This is just a step towards figuring out a responsible way to exist.

What’s been the best thing about your new lifestyle?

Chaldea: We are home owners and we don’t have to pay a mortgage! And I love showing it off to everyone too. I work with kids, and they are always asking, “Can I see your bus?” That is so awesome! It makes me proud, and I feel like I am showing them that there isn’t just one right way to do something.

Phil: I really enjoy owning my living space, while not having the burden of full-fledged property ownership right yet. Not having to think about rent payments and having the experience of caring for a space in a way I haven’t had to (renting, etc) has been really exciting. Also, custom-building the space has really allowed me to fulfill my needs in a way that hasn’t been met before in other living spaces I’ve had. (book shelving, paper flat-file for art, etc.)

And what’s been the worst thing?

Chaldea: Not having enough floor space to do yoga, but we haven’t lived in it through a winter yet, so the cold nights might end up being the worst thing. I’ll have to get back to you in February.

Phil: Dealing with registration and insurance was a bit of a nightmare. Regarding tangible living space issues, the hardest thing for me to deal with is when something doesn’t work how I’d like it to. Having never built furniture or cabinets, I’ll be revisiting and improving designs which aren’t satisfactory, the futon in particular.

And what’s been the most unexpected thing?

Chaldea: Knowing that I can live in a tiny space and feel so comfortable.

Phil: I’ve been sleeping pretty well. The enclosed space of the bedroom seems to promote a good night’s sleep.

Do you have any long range plans you’d like to share, particularly any of an unconventional nature, i.e. is your bus conversion part of a bigger plan for your life?

Chaldea: I think in reality, living in the bus home is a short-term thing, maybe a couple years, since I do want to own a house and have my own land someday. But I always daydream about the future house being a tree house, or converted boat on land, or double-decker bus home, things like that. And during the whole project, whenever we saw something we wished we did differently, we would half jokingly say, “Well this is only the first bus.”

Phil: The bus will remain a part of our lives in some way, I’m sure, for quite some time. I’d like to take it on any number of trips, but for the time being it’s a full-time residence. Regarding the longevity of its use, ideally this will serve as a home base as we segue to building a house on some land when we decide to take that step. Other unconventional life plans are up in the air, my attitude towards the future at this point is that it’s ok not to know what comes next, which may be unconventional in itself. The future could hold a homestead farm, a total career change, or any number of other pathways. I think the bus fits into this puzzle quite nicely. In general, if nothing else, this conversion has been an excellent learning experience; every building project is a puzzle of sorts, and this one presented new and exciting issues that I hadn’t encountered with conventional structures. At the least, we’ll take what we’ve learned with us as we build our next home.

What do you think people considering following in your footsteps should know before they jump in?

Chaldea: I guess it goes without saying if you’re doing this kind of thing, but, have an open mind. Anything can be anything else. Be creative and use reclaimed materials in a new way. I watched dozens of how-to-build-a shower videos and then we ended up making ours completely different from any conventional shower. And it works great! Also, talk to everyone about your project before you start, and as you are doing it. You’ll be surprised by how many people have building materials lying around that they’re willing to donate, and possibly help you with the building too.

Phil: It’s important to have the big picture before you get started. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the building projects I’ve done it’s that there’s always unexpected issues, and thoroughly evaluating all the angles of the project (budget, materials, floor plans, etc.) before you get involved is helpful. That being said, we did just a couple months of research before we purchased the bus. We constantly prowled numerous Craigslist areas for materials and appliances, which was helpful in keeping costs at a minimum. Also, I would highly recommend books like The Bus Converter’s Bible, Select and Convert Your Bus into a Mobile Home on a Shoe-String, Bus Conversion Floor Plans, and Plumbing for Bus Nuts, which helped to get the ideas flowing about certain aspects of the building project before we went ahead with the bus purchase. This allowed us to come up with ballpark estimates of materials costs in advance to see what was possible. Also, by reading other blogs and accounts on Skoolie.net I also learned useful tips and tricks for making things go easier (for example, laying out the floor plan in painter’s tape and living in the bus for a bit to get the feel of how the space will work before committing to it). Regarding unexpected issues, one area I had not budgeted for was tools; if you have friends with tools you can borrow, great! If not, you’ll be spending a sobering amount of cash on power tools. I found, in particular, that a good impact driver, angle grinder, and compressor/nail gun combo were indispensible to have around and I now consider them to be an investment (don’t buy cheap tools, they’ll break on you when you need them most!). Had I planned very carefully, I may have been able to get away with renting certain items rather than buying, but felt that in the long run I wanted to own them for subsequent building projects. I could go on and on, but I think the theme here is to do your homework.

Final thoughts, any background information you think is important to share, any tips, inspirational thoughts you’d like to share? i.e. what have I missed asking?

Phil: As with anything in your life, I think my thoughts for people doing this are to be as fully engaged in the process as possible, and above all, to enjoy yourself. It will make the finished product all that much better. This is a total adventure, and especially if you’re not working with time constraints, take the opportunity to find awesome materials and fully develop your ideas for what this conversion could be. Anything is possible. I’m continually excited to see what people are doing with school buses, and I hope that people who see ours will be inspired to take their own to the next level.

To find out more about this couple and see more of their bus home:

• Farm Bus Blog
• Chaldea’s Art

Hope you enjoyed finding out more about this couple and their journey as much as I did! And I hope you’ll drop by their blog to see a whole lot more details about their build.

Since this is my first post of this type, if there’s anything you feel I missed asking, please let me know in the comments. And yes, I am interested in further posts, either interview style or guest posts on a topic that fits the theme here, just drop me a line.

All photos in this post are courtesy of Chaldea & Phil – I added my own artistic flair to a couple – hope they don’t mind! Their blog has lots more photos of the conversion, so definitely check it out to see more!

Necessity? Phone by Mark E Tisdale

It’s been two months since I had a full-fledged iPhone at my disposal. And not only has it been a cheaper two months, it’s been an oddly liberating experience. I’ve read about various people taking digital sabbaticals over the past year and honestly wasn’t moved to try it for myself. You see, I do like gadgets. I love that my entire music collection fits in the palm of my hand and can go anywhere with me. I love that entertainment I actually enjoy is as close as my nearest laptop or PC. I barely watch regular TV anymore. Who wants to be locked into a time slot? And, I love that I can send emails and messages through a variety of mediums to friends around the world. The point is that I’m unlikely to turn Amish any time soon.

I became one with having email in my pocket at my old job when we got issued blackberries. The novelty was nice and to an extent it was freeing because I could run an errand and not have to play catch-up later. It was when the iPhone 3G came out that I directed that concept to my personal life as well. And it is neat to be able to email a friend wherever you may be, look up the answer to some obscure piece of trivia that crosses your path in day to day life, but I’m not sure that’s nearly as liberating as some commercials would lead us to think.

For me it wasn’t about trying to re-gain some sense of freedom, it boiled down to economics. I simply didn’t need to pay $80 a month for cell phone and data. When I examined it, it didn’t make sense to me. Was I getting anywhere near $1,000 worth of entertainment a year? Does anyone need to know I’m sitting at the theatre about to watch a movie? Or will the world stop revolving if I don’t answer a message until I’m home? In my current situation working for myself, the answer is no. I don’t think anyone is less likely to buy a print or license one of my images for some purpose if I answer their message a little later. If that time mattered, perhaps they were too much on the fence to begin with! And certainly my friends and family will understand a delay, one hopes!

The first few weeks was literal withdrawal. I was never a four-square type person. I never posted my every movement, but I did often post if i was about to watch a movie, just before I put the phone on silence. And the first time I sat down to watch a film I think I had the digital version of a junkie withdrawal. I watched several phones around me glowing, taunting me. Their owners were updating their friends. Sigh! And then I noticed one in the theatre that never shut off the entire movie. From the coming attractions to the credits, this guy had his phone out, typing away, reading messages. And I couldn’t help wondering why on earth he bothered coming at all!

I was never remotely at that level, but my slight twinges of regret quickly faded and now, I know it can wait – whatever I have to say or share can wait until I’m at home or somewhere with free WiFi at least! And I was sharing that outlook with a friend the other day and they informed me that they needed their phone, they needed that data plan, etc. Well, I won’t tell anyone how to live their life, what works for me might seem a major imposition to another, but I do think we could collectively do a better job of defining our wants verus our needs. I need air, food, water, shelter, etc. There are things I simply won’t survive without.

And there’s a nebulous dividing line where things become wants. I do want to have a cell phone (pay as you go now) so that if I’m on the side of the road, I can call for help (yesterday as a matter of fact!). It certainly makes life much easier, but it’s still not a necessity. And some folks may legitimately “need” a plan like I abandoned to earn their living, entirely understandable. But some folks want to have the latest gadget in their pocket so they can send messages to friends 24/7. They want to post that they are the mayor of the local fastfood restaurant.And, I’m good with that, just don’t tell me it’s a need.

So, have you regressed technologically in any area? Is there something similar that you thought was a need that you later identified as a want and abandoned? Have you ever taken a digital sabbatical? I don’t think I will, but I couldn’t have foreseen abandoning my iPhone a year ago either! Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or in the forum!

I’ve only seen photos of the work that Tiny Texas Houses do but from afar I’m impressed. These are not just small homes, these are works of art. Look at the level of detail that go into these little houses. I think you’ll see why I’ve been lusting after their work from a distance.

Interior Details of the Tiny Texas Worker House:

There’s just a genuine feeling of their homes (not just this one), being some place that has been there for years. And by nature of their using recycled materials, you can bet there won’t be another exactly like this one.

I won’t rehash all the details of the contest entry – you can find those on their page, but to win, you have to submit $50 and a 300 word essay on the topic of How having a tiny house could change your life. Of course, you’ll need somewhere to put the house AND you need to be able to pay the cost of getting it to you. I have seen some people griping about the entry fee and transportation and am shocked! This is not a giant corporation offering a freebie. And you certainly can’t expect them to transport a house across the country to you! At any rate, just for entering, you’ll get a copy of the plans and an e-book they’re about to release. So, you’re getting something for your money even if you don’t win.

So if I think it’s such a great thing, why aren’t I entering you may be wondering? Well unfortunately the details of having somewhere to put it never mind the cost of getting it here are not small issues., If it were near to me and/or I had a place to put it, I would absolutely enter for my chance at a tiny house that like a piece of art, is one of a kind!

A few more pictures:

If you’re looking for something unique, particularly if you’re in or near Texas, I’d definitely check out the work that Tiny Texas Houses is doing. And I feel their houses are inspirational even to those of us who may not be in the market just now. I hope their contest has a lot of entries! Leave a comment if you’re entering and definitely remember to let me know if you found out here and won – I’d be really proud to have made that connection!

You can find the full details here:

• Tiny Texas Houses Essay Contest

I have always liked to re-use things, to find new utility for things that are no longer wanted or useful. I have always been something of a dumpster diver or thrift store shopper. I mean, I’m not as hardcore as some people like Click Clack Gorilla, but I hold my own in the land of refurbishing old furniture. Amongst the items I have in storage now is a love seat I’ve had since college – recovered myself – and a large ottoman made out of a small end table that was hopelessly out of style. While it might not get me on the covers of any design magazines, it made me happy!

So, lately I’ve been getting more and more interested in the idea of re-using larger items, inspired by the likes of Holy Scrap Hot Springs and their refurbished mobile home. How awesome would it be to give new life to something like that. But you can start smaller, too. I’ve actually come across two of these now.

Rebuilt Pop Up Camper from Craigslist

This is a recent ad I found on my local craigslist. While very simple, I really like the idea behind this, taking something worn out and giving it a second life. Imagine taking this a bit further? Actually, I previously found a much more involved project detailed here. If you are game to follow that link, you’ll find eleven pages of details about another pop up camper that was completely dismantled down to the frame and given new life as a small camper. In that case, a few of the camper’s original systems were even re-used, not just the trailer frame. Not per se up to Tiny House standards of insulation, etc., but I think that project illustrates very well that there are a lot of ugly ducking (cheap) campers out there waiting for enterprising small house builders to take advantage.

If it was an especially nice vintage style camper, I would be tempted to try to keep the exterior appearance while increasing the insulation values and otherwise making the interior more efficient. In fact, that’s one of the things I’m most interested in doing if I find the right candidate down the line. Not likely to be too soon however as I’m just window shopping while I prepare to do a little wandering in the camper van.

* * *

So, is anyone else out there contemplating something along these lines? Maybe you’ve already done it or started your own project? Please chime in with your projects or dream projects here in the comments or in the forum!

In that theme, every so often, there’s a commercial that leaps to my attention. I mean commercials by nature are, well, commercial. They are trying to encourage us to purchase a good or service that we may or may not need. I have to admit there are some clever ones on occasion that amuse me (though don’t necessarily sway me). and then there are the ones that are just too over the top in asking me to consume for the sake of consumption.

And this Staples commercial is an excellent example. Oh my, before I had to worry about keeping up with the Joneses. Now I have to worry that the burglars won’t even find my stuff nice enough to steal. Apparently it doesn’t matter whether or not the old PC was doing what they needed, they need to get a new one just by virtue of the old one being uncool. This is a seriously poor message in my opinion.

What do you think? Are there commercials or other mass media messages that bother you?

In some dusty book during my college years, we read that our free time has actually gone down in modern times. We picture hunter gatherer groups as constantly looking for their next meal and basically always living on the brink. And that’s certainly the case if the environment is harsh (either as a matter of course or because of some calamity). The truth was that when we looked at the few examples of such groups living today, they had more free time than we do. Amazing stuff, eh? I’m not saying I would want to trade places per se and live on the ragged edge. Although there are times that I think that thrill is why I left my job. Hmm…

Quitting Time - Photo Courtesy Library of Congress

Manual labor has always been back-breaking. There’s no doubt about it, but we seem to have translated that same back-breaking mentality to jobs today that are honestly much easier even if they aren’t challenging. We’ve made them emotionally draining and time intensive in the ethos that work should be hard.

However, it seems like maybe we’re moving towards redefining work, maybe a renaissance of thought in some way. How many articles can you find about people who are inspring because they’ve found a unique way of living? There are a lot of blogs out there by people who are trying to find a way to provide that doesn’t involve punching the clock. It becomes a question of whether you live to work or work to live. Our society, especially in America, is built around the idea that work is to be admired and play is allowed in moderation but more than that is clearly hedonistic. Everyone may not be looking to leave a well-paying job, but I think a lot are looking for more balance.

This topic especially came to mind for me as I was doing my taxes from my photography business this past week. It was the first year that my income was pretty much entirely based on getting people to buy pretty pictures. I had always heard people say that the last thing you wanted to do to a hobby you enjoyed was try to make a living from it. I certainly understand the thought process behind that, but I can also say that I took a bit of pride from having managed to grow that business, to do something that makes me happy and earn some money doing it. Nothing to scoff at! I won’t rule out doing other things to pay the bills in the future, including taking more conventional jobs again. But I think it’s easier to consider that when I’ve gone out on a limb myself and not completely fallen on my face. Definitely an enriching experience.

So, besides trying to sell photos, what else do people do to live outside the 9 to 5 world? Some of the people I follow sell other arts and crafts, some are workamping, some are doing the same jobs they did before either full time or part time but have taken their jobs with them, and of course there are all brands of entrepreneurs on the web. I think the most empowering thing is learning that you are not defined by the work you do.

So, this is where I would like to hear from others who have made the transition to earning your way of life unconventionally! You’re welcome to add to the comments below, start a conversation in the forum, and I’m welcoming guest posts on this subject! E-mail me if you’re interested in telling your story in your own words.

On this continuum, I feel I started, quite honestly, more on the end of the scale of my own concerns. I have always hated wasted simply because of tight purse strings. Where other people would have replaced things, I would always try to repair them if it were practical. Unfortunately, it is not always so. For instance, a few years ago, a clothes dryer in my house up and died one day. It happened to still be under warranty, so I called in the repair squad. A week later it was fixed, and though I owed nothing, I was still given the bill. The cost of having someone come and replace a part amounted to nearly the original purchase price of my dryer! At first this seems impossible, how could it cost so much for one repair? And it’s really the other way around. We are taking advantage of cheap labor and resources in another part of the world when we buy the dryer. That plus an assembly line style of construction where a repair involves more intricate work of diagnosis and disassembly and re-assembly. Thus it comes, with the status quo, it’s often cheaper to just replace some items if you lack the skill to repair them yourself, which face it, mos of us don’t have. But the more I have come to understand how our world works, the more I have slid towards a concern for the future and the opposite end of my imagined continuum of altruism and self-centeredness.

One of fundamental concerns of our time should be fuel. Prices have risen so quickly in the last few years. Each world event from massive storms to revolutions on the other side of the world just push the prices higher and higher. One would think this would be something we could all agree on. For the sake of the environment and our economies, we should be working to wean ourselves, right? To use what we have efficiently and to find alternatives. But for everyone who is concerned, there seems to be plenty with their heads in the sand.

Yet, I have to say, I am one of those people with the stereotypical American SUV. At least my 2001 Blazer (amongst the last of its kind) is not an Expedition, HumVee, etc.! I very nearly bought a SMART car a few years ago when they first came to America. In the end, I examined my expenses and it just made no sense for me. I lived 5 miles from work, often worked at home, and had no car payment. And, perhaps it’s rationalization, but it seemed to me the act of consuming a new car rather than continuing to use my own (at the relatively low miles I drove) just didn’t add up environmentally either. Even with gas prices where they are now, I just can’t justify the outlay of cash on another car. So, it appears unless I end up with a significant commute, I will be driving this vehicle until it meets its maker.

What do you think? Do more people act out of altruism or other? Where do you fit on the continuum? Have you made financial or other sacrifices entirely out of a desire for a better world? Or are their times that you only act if the stars line up where both you and the planet benefit? Interested in knowing if I’m alone in my decisions.

In fact, there’s a whole movement called the 100 Thing Challenge where people have reduced the entirety of their belongings to a list of 100 items. I’ve followed multiple people online who have taken this path and all seem quite happy with their minimal lifestyle not focused on American Consumerism.

I think this is a category where I have to admit to being a wannabee. I spent the last few years of home-ownership going through spurts of down-sizing my stuff. I would go through boxes of stuff that I had accumulated in various phases of my life. A great deal of it would either be unrecognizable or if I did remember why I’d saved an article, the strong memories attached to it were dead. So, away went boxes of stuff to various charities where possible.

I also started digitizing where possible. I had a set of shelves in my living room that were nothing but CDs and DVDs. And the shelves were literally full to bursting. The first to go were the CDs. All ripped to my computer and an iPod (I am not tied to Apple for life but I tried other models and ultimately that was the one that worked for me). The CD cases were given away but I kept the booklets/art and put the CDs in an album. Three or so shelves of CDs literally became 6 inches of space. A caveat on digitizing music. I know a lot of people sell their CDs after. My understanding is technically when you sell the CD, you sell your ‘license’ to own that music. Besides in my mind, as long as I have a CD drive, those are my back-ups in a calamity.

I’ll save further comment on my DVD solution. It’s technically okay under the same ‘fair use’ doctrine that allows you to make a copy of a CD for your own use but illegal to circumvent the copy protection that is on virtually any DVD purchased. I will say in the end all my DVDs are also stored in a couple of small DVD storage boxes. Goodbye to an entire shelf! Happy Days!

This ended up being pretty much the end of the road for my minimizing lifestyle, though. I might have gained more ground but this came to the point that I decided to sell my house. I could have gone two ways here, truly dumped it all or, the one I went, found a decently priced climate control near my parents and put all my stuff away. Well, the few times I’ve been to retrieve things I ended up needing, I have actually taken stuff out and given it away, but it’s sort of out of sight out of mind. Sure I have the monthly cost of keeping it there, but it’s low and unless I want to get rid of it all, it won’t get any cheaper to keep it (i.e. no smaller options).

With the exception of a few pieces of family furnishings that I inherited, I could give up the furniture happily enough, but that leaves me with boxes and boxes of books (I am a book hoarder no doubt) and my one big addiction that has followed me through life, toys and comics. Yep, I’m an adult toy and comic collector (yes, I watch the Big Bang Theory and get all the jokes). And while I have managed to pretty much not buy anything new in ages, there is still a strong attachment to the things I own. So, this is where the wannabee minimalst comes in. If, perish the thought, it all burst into flames tomorrow, I’d never look back and probably replace little if any of it. But that’s pretty much what it would take at this phase to shave my life down to a 100 Things. It’s funny and sad all at once!

Now, there are lots of things I disposed of in the past few years that I never thought I would, so there’s always the possibility that I will one day decide I want to join the ranks of the über minimalist people out there. Maybe it’s all a series of baby steps for me to get there rather than a need for being tossed into the deep end of the pool by a sudden fire. I’m dubious about that.

Still, I understand the heart of the minimalist movement. I have certainly as a result been much more aware of the things I buy these days since even sampling minimalism on the edges. When you start adding up the cost of all those DVDs and the music you buy (even now that they take little or no space), the money that was behind them was not so small! So, maybe it’s at least helped me appreciate not being a slave to things either by the need to house them or by the money they cost to begin with. I’ve no doubt I’ll continue to explore but I’m also happy if the end product is still longer than a list I could put on notebook paper!

So, where do you stand on minimalism? Do people who have minimised to 100 things scare you or inspire you? Or are you already there?

Robert Frost (1874 – 1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

It has always spoken to me as a commentary that the well traveled path in life is not always the best one. There may be times we make decisions that take us down less certain paths and when that happens we hope the experience is worth it. The author arrives at a very binary choice, 0 or 1 or A or B in the multiple choice test world. In this case there’s sure and certain and less sure but more interesting. We don’t really get the outcome of the story, just a confident feeling that the decision will be remembered as well-chosen one day.

If this were prose, we might have paragraphs devoted to the decision, the pluses and minuses of each decision. Certainly, I have to admit to being one of those people who can get completely wrapped up in what I take to be big decisions in life. I have lost track of how long I considered selling my house and moving, how long I considered whether I wanted to change jobs, and so on. Even as I got close to really making a decision to leave the safe harbor of my old job and life, I know I sent countless emails and notes to friends agonizing over whether it was a sane thing to do.

In the end, it really comes time to just do something and move on. To either stick to the known road and the known outcomes or to go off road and see what else there is. And the funny thing is we wouldn’t be agonizing over the decision if we were that happy with the status quo!

We make decisions every day that we don’t think nearly so much about but could have more profound outcomes. I decide to take a left at the traffic light and I’m struck by a concrete truck. I go right, I have lunch. Yet I made that seemingly simple choice without attaching the same stigma to it.

Sometimes, we’d be better off treating our choices with a little less drama and more certainty that the experience, in the end, is what matters most. Analysis paralysis gets one nothing but angst in the end.

I’m going to end this one with a quote that has been attributed to Mark Twain but there’s apparently nothing to prove he said it. Wish I knew who did write it as I had this on my cubicle wall for 10 years and have enjoyed trying to live up to the words.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Anyway, the new forum is open for business. I hope you new visitors (and any old ones I’ve already managed to gather) will fill it up with your thoughts! I’ll try to get the ball rolling as ideas hit.

New Forum!

At the moment there are some very broad forum topics along with a general category and a community topic. FYI, if I’ve set my forum up properly, the random chit-chat forum can only be read and posted to by registered members. Oh, there’s a general category too for anything related to the larger topic but not fitting Mobile Living, etc. If we see cause, we can add sub-categories as well as completely new topics as we see what people want to discuss here.

Anyway, that’s the accomplishment for today. I’m also having some lightning flashes over maybe setting up the blog where people can have sort of sub-blogs of their own. That’s not close to happening quite yet, but I would appreciate hearing from people who are interested. There are, of course, plenty of options out there to open your own blog, but I was thinking it would be nice to build up a repository of thought here from others and that would be one way. It would be like John Doe Blog at Living Unconventional. We could keep it simpler, though, and just have guest-bloggers as needed.

I welcome your thoughts and be sure to check out the forum!