The life of an overlander want-a-be can be complicated. Complicated by the fears of how to make life on the road happen. Fear of the unknown. Fear of leaving behind all that is familiar. Fear of running out of money. Although I strive to keep this site about our travels and dream life, our current life here at home is currently threatening said dream life.
This week, our spirits were dampened with the need for a new roof on the house. We had desperately hoped to avoid having to re-roof before we put the house on the market, howevert not one but MULTIPLE leaks, told us otherwise. Disheartened with the idea of spending so much money, things only got worse when the big day came. Basically, the original roof was crap… and I do mean CRAP, requiring many sheets of new plywood.
Wet sheet after wet sheet needed to be pulled up and replaced as I mentally counted the thousands of dollars being depleted from our bank account. My head pounded, matching the never ceasing pounding on the roof above me, as my anxiety amplified. What did this mean for our plan to put the house on the market in the spring? How could we possibly pay off this much more debt? I could hear the stress in Jim’s voice as I gave him updates…. more plywood on the way, it will take more than one day, who will stay home next week for the roofers to finish up?
Stress, stress, stress. How much more would our bill be for the delays, the extra day required to finish, the sheet after sheet of plywood?
Dreams are a necessary part of life. And as I took several deep breaths, and several advil for my pounding head, I realized my stress was slowly evaporating. Nope, I have no idea how we’re going to pay for this, or what this will mean for the timeline of our intended departure. I also know, as with so many things in life, it doesn’t matter. We will take out a bigger loan to pay for it. We will still make our departure for the life of our dreams out discovering the world. It will happen. I’m not quite sure of the details, nor am I sure of the how’s and when’s, but it will happen.
For this is not just a dream, it is something that is essential to our being. We feel the need to leave the 9-to-5 and explore the world in the deepest recesses of our souls. Such a quest can not be denied. A setback? Yes. The end of a dream? Most Empathically NO!
