Clocked out

The drive to my parents' house feels different. It was my last day at work. I wasn’t sure if my stay back home in San Diego would last a month, three, six, or even a year. Yet, intuitively, I felt that my journey here was drawing to a bittersweet close. What I’ve learned about myself and my fellow peers during my time here has been surreal.I have this feeling of inspiration and a slight touch of delusion, but I’m fired up. I can smell it. I can taste it. I'm witnessing change. After six years of living out of my car, exploring this chaotic world—which, for all its ugliness, is beautiful and worthy of our enthusiasm, this feeling remains undiminished, its as if i’m starting all over once again…

Six years ago, living out of a car was not as accepted as it is now. I didn't come across as many people as I do now who are also living out of their cars. I’ve always considered this lifestyle a sort of rebellious act, a way to give a little pushback to the world around me. I believe that in our own little worlds, we all need to find something to rebel against. I wouldn’t suggest living out of a car to anyone; indeed, I discourage it. It’s a rough way to live, both physically and emotionally, but it's also one in which you can find a significant amount of peace.

In that rebellion, I found peace alongside inspiration, strength, and a certain critical awareness that only comes with changing surroundings. Finding peace can be as simple as saying 'No'—to your own doubts or to the dismissive clerk at the grocery store. Often, true rebellion must occur within oneself; we may be the very thing derailing our true paths.