This is for you. The curious, the nay-sayers, and the one's that need to know that it can be done before spreading their own wings. James Adams once said "There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live". Well, through the wins and fails of our path, we hope to educate those who come to learn through our experiences of how to live and how making a living doesn't need to be high so it can accompany the extravagant life the tabloids you scroll through everyday tell you it should be. And through this adventure we're hoping to learn and teach that you can be happy with each other, a dog, a tea cup, a seed, and a garden hoe next to a lump of dirt.
This is the past
that led us to our now:
Before February
of 2012 we were a very common couple. We did the ins and outs of the typical
American individual. The goods’ and the bads’ combined of each category. We
were wasteful without much thought, our idea of a good time was a 30 case and a
few friends that some of which were only around for the case bought from our
wallet. We were out of touch with ourselves and the natural world around us. It
was almost as if we were going down a tunnel with only what we could see around
us, what was being shown to us, and our constant view of such a little mental
space became our normality.
I (Sharayah) was
in my second to last day of my clinicals for my C.N.A. certification when I
received a call from Mike’s brother’s girlfriend; Mike was in the hospital from
a traumatic fall off a 22 ft high ladder. After not knowing the results and a
shaky hour drive I finally arrived to the hospital and to the awful news that
Mike was about to go in for surgery on his head (and his arms were crushed and
needed reconstructive surgery), there was too much blood collecting between his
skull and his brain, and every second longer it took the brain surgeon to get
to the OR, the more dramatic his lessening chances of survival were. It was a
heart wrenching hour after hour he was in surgery; but what a beautiful sight
of him it was when part of the family and I were finally invited back to ICU to
see him. He had tubes coming out of each cast that covered each arm, tubes that
were blood colored coming from the hole still in his skull slightly wrapped in
white gauze and stained with red, beeping coming from 3, 4, maybe 5 separate
sides of the room and wires leading up to each sound from him, and his face had
a look of inconsiderable happiness and much confusion upon us walking in. He was
still under the effects of what-ever drug he was administered after he woke up
to keep the pain down. The sight of the surrounding area was indeed scary, but
his breathing chest seemed like the most beautiful sight I could have seen. And
then he said to me as we all walked in, "Hello Beautiful". I still
tear every time I think about it, and as I'm typing this now my eyes are
watering. Words were hard to understand from his mouth, it took him about two
days to almost normally speak, but longer to have full ability to understand
where each word goes. I remember the first night, every time he was thirsty he
would tell me, "I need thirsty". I was only able to feed him ice
chips for the first few days. What was supposed to be a month long stay at the
hospital turned into a 9 day (he continued to baffle his doctors with his
progress even after). I was there every night except the first night, which was
the hardest, but I had to go home with his mother and make sure everything was
set up for her at our place. After two nights of staying with him the nurses
began making me up a bed before I came back every night (I was still working at
the time). My love goes out to every Nurse and Doctor by his side through the
whole experience. After day 9 I was able to take him home! And ironically I had
just finished obtaining my CNA and was able to stay at home and take care of
him on my own without another coming in to do it, because really, I wasn’t
going to have another woman in my house cooking for him, feeding him, and wiping
my boyfriend’s butt too. No no. BTW, if that's not listed under Love, then I
don’t know what is.
This was the
beginning life changing event that led us to who we are today. Then Mikes
brother stumbled upon a video on YouTube called "Soul Travelers". And
with nothing but time, watching a 5 hour long video seemed like 'whatever,
sure'. That was the next step into our future. That video literally opened our
minds into the 'What If" in life. Should we continue down the path we were
on? Is there another way? A better way? So many 'What If's. This led us into a
spiritual awakening. I can easily say that his brother has been a, in a sort,
wind lifting us up into the more positive way of thinking and living. Whenever
he comes over to visit with Mike, their conversations are always so interesting
and deep. One thing that has stuck and seems the most perpetual to live by is
through the acts of Love, Forgiveness, and Gratitude. I like to add faith to
that as well, because without faith even in those words how can they become
more than words?
June came around
and the casts we're completely off. His once burley Army created arms were
covered in weak hairs and slim muscles (In which I can truly say after much
hard work, dedication, and time they are now kissable Roman demi god material).
And after much more therapy he was able to return to work before the years end.
Again, surprising since doctors were telling him months he should have been in
the hospital and more than a year for all over recovery (they say minimum two
years to heal for brain injuries). His family and I's little big miracle kept
pulling miracles out of his ears.
More time passed
and our reading and researching for a 'better way' came to us: Sustainable and
organic living. Because what is more important than that of our Earths' and our
own body, mind, and spiritual health? Confucius said, "If you think in
terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in
terms of 100 years, teach the people". Well, in order to teach those
around us, we must teach our selves first. So what is not only a better way but
a happier way, and cheaper way of living that doesn’t require so many
'resources' and dependence on chain stores, and etc,.? This led us to the Earth
Ship idea. A completely sustainable home built from recycled goods and dirt
(link at bottom of article for more information). Well, living where we
were/are at in Michigan, it seemed a bit of a move just to get an apartment in
New Mexico where the training for these homes is at and only at certain times
of the year. Which led us to our next idea! >> With Mike's surgery taking
him away from work, and the workman’s comp being such a poor excuse to live on
(It didn't help that I only got paid for my CNA work 4 months after Mike had his
casts taken off), paying the mortgage wasn't able to happen
sadly, and his house soon fell into foreclosure. I got a another CNA job in the
next town over to help more, but it still didn’t benefit the situation any, it
was too far gone. The only way would have been to shut off our electric,
phones, water, propane, and eat grass for the next year to make up for it.
So... This next idea I was promising; living in a converted van. After a week
of looking up other peoples stories it seemed great until we fell upon Skoolie
living. We obviously couldn’t stay in our home much longer and we didn’t feel
like paying for an apartment where the money we were putting into it every
month was just below a mortgage payment and didn’t put us any closer to owning
it. Skoolie's are converted, usually retired, school busses. With all of the
amenities of home in a travel package this seemed like the perfect idea
in-between everything and finally building our own Earth Ship. Then the
research process for this began. Weeks and weeks of learning about how much of
a difficult process this was going to be from the constructing to the insuring
it. It just sounded like such a grand idea, but many said that their Skoolie
process took a year and over. We just didn’t have that kind of time. So here we
sat day after day trying to fabricate our next step. It took us a total of two
weeks to come up with the RV idea, find one, and drive it home. Now, with as
little time as we have here in this house, we don’t have to worry so much about
where we're going to go next. For the price of 4 months average rent in the
United States in a two bedroom apartment, we found 'Gus Gus'. A home we can
take with us, a home that can settle anywhere we want. Also, a home that can be
constructed still into a sustainable traveling home.
Our plans for Gus
Gus include solar panels, RO water system, a lounge/art studio in back, small
wood stove, and a few other un-decided nics and nacks that we're still working
the kinks out of.
I'll tell you
what though; my family thinks we're CRAZY. I capitalized that for a reason. His
family gets the not so capitalized version, but alas. Both of our families have
followed the standard intended route for so long that when we came to them and
said 'We're going to live in a bus and travel', most of their mouths dropped
and my family got together with me for a secret intervention. I get it, they
all love us and just don't want to see us go, but we'll be back down the road.
Here's hoping anyways. Our ultimate goal is to settle back in Michigan when our
'white man walk-about' is finished and we have the tools and knowledge to build
our Earth Ship. By the way, yeah, I know...Earth Ship, funny. I had my mom and
aunt laughing hysterically at me the other day when I was talking about it. "You
gunna fly off to space with the aliens, kid?"... Haha... Funny guys.
Well, here's to
my first and very long first post on here. Hopefully you’re not drooling on
your phone or keyboard. I thought I might as well get up to date with as
little writing as possible. Anyways... a few weeks from now and we'll hopefully
be on the road finally > First long stop in Florida to show off our new home
to his grandparents (by the way, they are some of the most adorable people on
this planet that I have been able to meet thus far!).
Love,
Forgiveness, Gratitude, & Never stop chasing YOUR dreams...
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