A Short A-Z Version of Three Years of Van Life.

This blog post is not about sex or politics. Please read it anyway.

If you want a sense of awe, imagine parking on the edge of a high cliff

If I wrote about politics, this week’s blog would probably be about the release of the Epstein files, which involves sex and politics and perversion and criminality, in other words, clickbait. But lately, politics depresses me. Maybe it depresses you, too.

Instead, this post is about the A-Z of travel, a humorous trip through the alphabet.

For new readers, this week’s short blog (2-3-minute read) is in the form of an abecedary—an alphabetical poem. It was inspired by traveling full-time in a van with my dog.

After six months, I was hooked. I had become a nomad, as human beings once were.

This is an effort to capture some ways that becoming a nomad changes you. I wanted to share that I have changed in ways both subtle and often difficult to express.

And now on to the alphabet of van life…

A--for the awe of all that I saw

Travel produces a sense of awe at the sight of the ineffable—things too wondrous for words. Humans have always been in awe of the might of nature, and always should be.

B--for beauty—mother nature’s a cutie

We try to create beauty in many ways. While our efforts may be satisfying in ways, we can never recreate the true beauty of nature in all of its complexity and simplicity.

C--for camping; basic, or glamping

When humans were nomads, camping was our way of life. We found a spot, then moved again to search for food or due to weather. Humans innately long to camp.

D--for the destination of my imagination

Where does a nomad go? Answer: anywhere they want. I imagine myself in a place, then I find a way to get there, and start driving. Imagination becomes destination.

E--for expedition, which is my ambition

An expedition is a journey with a purpose. I often travel on a whim. I go south for the winter and north for the summer, for the purpose of avoiding extreme, unsafe weather.

F--for free, which is how I like to be

Question: Do you own your home, or does it own you? Do you travel less than you want because you have to take care of your home? Becoming a nomad set me free.

G--for going, to-ing, and fro-ing

Instead of having a specific reason to go somewhere, I point the van in one direction and start driving. It’s very liberating to wake up and go anywhere you want to go.

H--for home, wherever I roam

Some people ask, Where is your home? It’s the campervan. Home is wherever I am, or wherever I go. People often ask me, “Are you from here?” I tell them, “Today I am.”

I--for instinct.

When I became a nomad, I learned to trust my instincts. Humans have an ancient ability to sense danger. I have survived a number of near-death incidents.

J--in my van, I journey, not on a gurney.

Despite driving 100,000 miles in three years, I found myself on a gurney only once, when I developed appendicitis and needed an operation.

J is not for Jeffrey, who was a jerk and a sicko. No one knows why he was so sick.

K--for Jack Kerouac; he is better than a bear attack

Nomadic writers have famous predecessors, like Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road, and John Steinbeck, who wrote the famous dog-man classic, Travels with Charlie.

L--the British say “leisure,” which rhymes with pleasure

Americans have a love-hate relationship with leisure time, aka vacation, etc. We want more, but when we get it, we may feel uncomfortable. We should embrace leisure.

M--for my Mom; she was “the bomb”

M could be for mobility or motoring, but I choose to remember my Mom, who at age 95, wished me well on my trip, and gave me a rosary to keep me safe. I guess it worked.

N--for nada, nunca, ninguna, and … fortuna?

Did you expect N would be for nomad? For some reason, Spanish words popped into my head, from the time I spent in Mexico. And then I thought of fortuna, or fate.

O--for a road that is open, taking me where I’m hopin’

Why do we say the “open road?” Is that the opposite of a closed road? Open refers to driving through the wide spaces between towns, where we can see distant vistas.

P--to be peripatetic and also energetic

Aristotle taught students while walking about. A life on the move may be a pathway to acquiring true knowledge and wisdom that eludes us when we live sedentarily.

Q--for quest, the thing I do best

Diana Ross recorded a hit song titled “Do You Know Where You’re Going to?” Most of us don’t really know where we are going. A quest is an effort to find our own truth.

R--to roam, far from home

Roaming is what I do, like the migratory beasts , including the bison, a symbol of the Old West. But why roam when you could stay home? Try it, and you’ll soon find out.

S--for season, for roaming, the reason.

The seasons are great shifts of weather, in the length of days and in extremes of hot and cold, powerful forces that drive migration.[Enter your work phone number here]

T--to travel, and mysteries, unravel

Once upon a time, the British upper class traveled abroad as way to acquire “culture.” Travel allows us to explore the unknown and to unravel great mysteries.

U--for unfettered, a word 10-lettered

To be unfettered is to be freed of encumbrances and restraints. What better way to be free than travel? Shed inhibitions, discover new possibilities, and expand your mind.

V--for voyage, whether man-age or boy-age

When is the right time to travel, when you are young or old? Travel as soon as you are able, and continue to travel as long as you can. A person seldom regrets traveling.

W--for wander, from here, to yonder

“I wonder as I wander,” as the words from an old hymn say. Wondering and wandering are inseparable impulses. I spend hours wondering while I wander.

X--to excurse, seldom seen in verse

Many of us take excursions but few of us use the verb form, to excurse. It refers to a short journey, often for leisure, but also to deviating from the regular path to one less traveled.

Y--way over yonder, I sit and ponder

Where is yonder? Yonder is a place that is at some distance, but still within sight. It came into the English language almost 1000 years ago.

Z--for angry old Zeus, who rains on my caboose

How often do we think about the Greek gods and their mighty powers? Zeus was the god of weather, the most powerful force known to man in antiquity, and to this day.

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I hope a few of these travel-related ideas resonate. An abecedary helps children learn the alphabet. Maybe this one will help you to find out what traveling means to you.

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