Apartment Life

Saturday morning.
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Several times recently I’ve been asked how I’m adjusting to living in an apartment after seven years of van life. Giving it some thought, here’s what I’ve come up with:

Freezers. These things are great. You can put food items in there and they’ll still be good to eat weeks later. If you pour water in these little plastic trays, the next day, boom, freakin’ ice-cubes! It’s pretty remarkable. If you don’t have one, I highly suggest you invest.

While in Belfast in 2011 I purchased two pieces of art and had them shipped to Canada. Unwrapping them a few weeks ago, I looked at them for the first time since purchase. The only two pieces of furniture I kept after my parents both died are finally out of storage and in use. There is a table here and space to paint. I recently finished a piece with a couple of others in the works. Now, too, I have a place to hang them.

Walls for art. My piece #87 on the left. Tale of Two Cities by Bob Barker (76/95) on the right.

This morning I needed to get a few items for breakfast. I simply put on my shoes, jacket and mask, closed the door, got what I needed from the grocery store across the street, came home and made breakfast. What’s the big deal you ask? Well, I didn’t have to pack up my entire world to make the trip to the grocery store. In the van, everything has to be secured before you can go anywhere. Rather, there was a cup of coffee still on the counter, my laptop was open; I didn’t have to put any of it away. It’s rather liberating

Going through the process of making a complete change of address is a pain in the butt.

Seat-post clamps. To put the bikes in the van, front wheels come off and seat-posts are removed. This constant loosening and tightening of those bolts means the threads get soft much more quickly than normal. I have to replace them every few years instead of barely giving them a second thought. All that is over now.

The bike room.

Sitting on the couch with my feet up in a warm space while typing these words is also rather appealing.

Beyond these rather practical considerations, however, are the lessons I’ve learned the past seven years and am attempting to implement as I live a more rooted lifestyle.

Van life forced me to get rid of all that stuff we feel the need to fill our homes with. Everything in the van had a purpose or special personal meaning. There was no junk or clutter, the contents all designed to facilitate activity…living. My apartment, therefore, is home to the things that really matter to me and has been arranged to facilitate those activities. Accumulation, opulence, showiness; none of these things have any meaning for me. Forced to live clutter-free for seven years, that simplicity really has become a part of who I am. Honestly, I think it makes me more calm and focused.

Van life is basically living outside, slightly glorified camping. This means I have spent a lot of time outside the past seven years, the benefits to my mental health being significant I’m sure. Now that I live indoors, I’m aware that I need to make sure I’m getting lots of time outside. This is particularly true as winter looms over the frosty horizon.

Simplicity, meaning, activity and the importance of being outside.The lessons I’ve learned these past seven years will serve me well as I transition to this new life…

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