Hello, Bonjour, Hola, Salut, Guten Tag, Wie gehts ? Comment Ca Va ?
Before I launch into any type of rant that might compel you to click to a more interesting blog, I’d like to start out with a little gratitude that you showed up for my little kick-off party.
My parents taught me (after repeated beatings) to say thank you when people do me a kindness and your visit is a generous act for which I will be forever in your debt.
Merci, Gracias, Thank You, Danke, etc. etc.
Now that we are past the pleasantries, let’s get on with the rant, shall we ?
The reach of the internet is vast and there is no telling where you might be as you read this, what religion you practice, what music you dance to, or which shoe you put on first (if any).
Regardless of our many possible differences, the one thing upon which I think that we can all agree is that there aren’t enough blogs.
So by adding one more, I am indubitably confident that I am doing the world an invaluable service and some good karma is coming my way.
The newest addition to the blogosphere is one that, for lack of any better ideas, will be called: Happy2Bhomeless.
“What kind of bloody title is that?” You might ask yourself, with a British accent, of course.
Well to make it perfectly clear to you, Old Chap, the title is the description of my new life plan and the subject of the blog currently sharing your screen with Facebook.
Essentially this is the thesis by which my new life plan will be guided: I will set out to disprove the widely held belief that a fixed address is essential to happiness and that a life spent traveling the world and seeing beautiful things is neither realistic nor attainable.
That’s pretty radical, I know, but it’s not quite as crazy as it might seem at first.
Firstly, by proclaiming that I am Happy2Bhomeless, I don’t mean that I will be sleeping in doorways or turning to panhandling as an income generating system. Though, I will gladly accept any spare change you might have lying around. (Paypal address available upon request)
Nor does it mean that I will be wandering aimlessly on dusty streets and wearing the same clothes for days at a time, though it seems that I have been doing both of these things quite a lot lately too.
What it DOES mean is that my wife and I have decided that I should quit my job, give away most of our stuff, and change our address to:
Ryan & Jennifer
PO BOX # TBD
Care Of: Black Carry-On Bag (w/Wobbly Handle)
Anywhere & Everywhere Beautiful, PLANET EARTH.
If you are hearing a little voice in your head saying, “Hey Buddy, this could be worth sticking around to watch!” I hope you will listen up, because that’s the voice of wisdom talking. (*Note: If you hear similar disembodied voices regularly, you might want to seek professional help.)
As we step into this new and undefined future of global travel, we don’t want to do it alone.
Of course, we hope to meet many new people as we follow the yellow brick road, but we would like you to come along with us too !
There isn’t much room in the Wobbly Handled Black Bag, but you can tag along by sharing in our stories and leaving some of your own.
As this is my first time being homeless, and my first time writing (or even reading) a blog, I’m not sure how this little scheme will unravel.
It is a life experiment and we are the lab rats.
The Experiment is ON !
We will expose ourselves to different stimuli and observe the results. Taking careful note of what brings happiness and attempt to reproduce those effects on a larger scale.
Of course, there will be the occasional disaster (likely of our own making), but we will try to rigorously document these events for scientific purposes (and your amusement). We will attempt to avoid repeatedly making the same dumb mistakes, but as someone wise once told me, “humans are the only animals that fall in the same hole twice.”
Please do not think that you are simply a passive onlooker in the experiment of our lives. Come on ! Put on your lab coat , your CRAZY Doc Brown wig and channel your inner Mad Scientist. You are welcome to poke and prod the subjects and help to invent new trials for them (us).
Let’s get started shall we ?
-Ryan Xavier & Jennifer, the Homeless Writers.
Ryan & Jennifer: Amazingly Awesome Place, Earth.
I ‘entered’ your blog because I was impressed by your response to visiting the National Museum in San Jose, Costa Rica. Personally, I have always encouraged visitors to Costa Rica to spend a few days learning about exactly the characteristics of the CR culture that you mentioned. The Gold Museum is also fantastic. And imagine a culture that would turn a city airport into a ‘people’ park and an art museum. Then go for a Zip-line view of the tropical canopy and a white water rafting trip through the jungle. If you must….spend a few hours on a sandy beach.