You're not your fucking khakis

6/16/2015 Day 1:

I took off or work in order that I could get 95% of my belongings into a 5 x 5 storage container.  That is a pretty humbling sight to behold.  The majority of your life in a small room, and the rest in your car.  Really helps put life into perspective and makes you decide what is truly important in your life.  Not just physically, extrapolate that out to your job, school, and relationships, whatever.  We become accustomed to a life of complacency and take so much for granted.  It brings to mind a quote by the philosopher Tyler Durden: “It’s only after you lose everything that are free to do anything.” 

            The first night wasn’t bad, but it did rain.  It started to become so hot and humid in the jeep that I was forced to open a window or sleep in the accumulating stink cloud that is Wash.  It quickly  became apparent that since the rain seemed to be coming down in every direction that I would get splattered in the face every few seconds, rendering a “good” night’s sleep near impossible.  So my brain came up with a viable solution to this dilemma.  I took a pair of shorts and closed them in the door so that excess hung outside over the small opening in the window, acting similar to a screen.  Allowing air in, but minimal rain.  I fell asleep rather quickly to the sound of rain falling on the Jeep.  Waking up was a little more interesting.  I was unaware of my surroundings for a few seconds until reality came back and I realized that I was not in the belly of a whale, Pinocchio style with all of my surroundings around me.  It was a much quicker drive to the gym than it was from Festus and I was able to get there by 5:20.  With the rest of the day proceeding as normal, save talking to Bob and Herb about the previous day.  I was unable to keep the truth from them because I detest lying. 

            “So did you get everything figured out?”

            “Yeah, got everything out and in a storage container.”

            “Where are you now? You aren’t in your Jeep are you?”

            “…Yeah”

            “(laughs) no…really?”

            “…Yup”

It was at this point that I had to swallow my pride.  Even though I trusted them it made me feel better to say the words “Please don’t tell anyone.”

Please understand, this is not a tale of woe meant to procure sympathy.  This is just a real life uncut version of my reality.  I don’t harbor ill will towards the people who forced me into this, because I very well could have succumbed to their requirements, but I couldn’t afford it and I never liked being under anyone’s thumb anyway.  Now I make my own rules, and I finally have my own place…it’s actually quite liberating.

"I am Jack's unending yearning for adventure"