Because we can

(Sometimes words and thoughts don't line up. You write and write, and what you really want to say just doesn't come out well. This is one of those posts. I simply can't put into words well what struck me this weekend, the feeling of freedom and realization that I'm un-trapped. It's a clumsy attempt to do so, but I won't take the post down. It's up, it's there for all to see, even if it doesn't say what I want it to)

Being a slow weekend, my brain got to work out more than the rest of me. And I've come to the conclusion that my son and I are really, really lucky!

You might think living in cramped quarters on minimal cash with no dad around unlucky, but not us.

You see, to tell the honest truth we're in a fairly unique position - we can do whatever we want with our lives. We see things from a sufficiently different angle that we don't feel pressured to conform to what "society" expects us to do. That goes for school, work, living arrangements - whatever!

Thus we could, quite easily:

* take off across Africa (etc.) for an indefinite period of time, living out of a Landy
* rethink the whole schooling thing and find a better-for-the-kid option that works with both the way he learns and the time he takes to complete things - along with stuff he's passionate about or finds interesting.
* move countries (visas allowing) - the world's your oyster!
* do something unexpected for a living - pick anything from finding minerals (eg semi-precious stones) to sell to collectors, working through archeological digs as hired help for a season, fruit picking, or whatever your imagination can come up with. And ALSO not do the same thing for a living forever, but chop and change as skills, interest and current location allow.
* spend a year (or so) walking a continent for a cause (if I can get the kid off his butt in front of the PS2), or working to help in an area of need.
* join Greenpeace (unlikely!)
* trek the Amazon and get to know the locals
* do anything else our hearts desire!

We don't have much keeping us in one place and although there are financial limitations, we've made do in the past, and we can do so again. We've both got a deeply ingrained spirit of adventure and desire to see places and things, a love of nature and its wonders, and excitement for travel. We don't have many ties here - no circle of friends that our lives depend on, no romantic interests (let me get the kid out of here before he develops some! :) ), no obligations to the bank or society that would tie us down. We don't own a home, the car is paid for.

So why should we stay put and tread an expected line all our lives? Why shouldn't we become nomads and adventurers and wanderers of the planet? Why shouldn't we learn from the world instead of stuffy institutions? Why sit still when we can get out and see the things the books try to explain!

I realized this weekend just how privaleged we are, able go anywhere, do anything, be whatever we want.

Simply because we can.