What's Next?

Truckee, CA

Ever seen the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks?  Remember the last scene, right after he dropped off that that Fedex box at the welder-lady's house?   He stops his rental car at a dirt crossroads in the middle of nowhere, lays a map on the hood of the Jeep and stares at the map.  I always interpreted that scene as his character saying "Okay.  I've had some freaky shit happen to me.  What's Next?".

Almost exactly two years ago I made a conscious decision to drastically change my lifestyle.  I was sitting in the courtyard of my house in Atlanta, sipping bourbon.  The clear, beautiful night sky was framed by the roof of the house, a house that was way too much for a newly single and newly unemployed guy to call home.  A million thoughts ran through my brain.  The one I can remember is this:  I've got to get out of here.

Thus began the Hobo Dream.  I dreamed of vastly simplifying my life.  Less house.  Fewer possessions.  Less work.  Less shit in my life, in all senses of the word.

I also dreamed of spending time with the most important people in my life, the people that populated the "Favorites" list on my phone.  And I didn't want to visit with them, as happens on vacations - I wanted to live with them, doing the normal, everyday stuff that makes up the vast majority of life.

In retrospect, it all happened pretty quickly.  Within 3 months, my house in Atlanta was leased to the perfect tenants, I had put away or given away all my stuff, I had purchased Marge, and I was settled into the basement at a friend's lake house.  Everything just fit - real Divine Intervention stuff.  The dream had begun and I was downright giddy.

In the last 20 months, I moved my dream around the country, calling 18 different places home.  I truly lived with all the people on my phone's Favorite list.  And I added several new Favorites, reconnecting with family and friends, the best of my past, and meeting new people that I'm sure will be the best of my future.

I've got the rental car packed and I'm trying to decide which way to point it.  Homer and Max act as my "Wilson".  The events of the last couple of weeks have opened a lot of doors for me.  I'm damn lucky to be alive and I have options, lots of them.  So what's next?