We coined a phrase on the AT: "Relax, you're rolling with the Sobohobos now."
Sobohobos was the palindromic website Shian and I created for our trek. It then became our first trail name of sorts. We'd sign it in trail registers we passed a few times a day in probably the most misguided attempt to drive traffic to a website. (SEO's have nothing on writing your web address on a notebook in the middle of the woods!) The phrase we coined was to further the mysticism that only good things happened to the Sobohobos. We might meet a stranger on the trail and within the hour be sitting in their hot tub at their house, full from a home cooked meal, or maybe we get in to the shelter just when the skies open up and drench any non-believers lagging behind.
To the uninitiated, it might seem that we had really great luck. Of course, it wasn't luck, and even if it was, there was as much "good" as "bad". Our prosperity boiled down to a few key outlooks on life / the trail: Be friendly and courteous and fun. Have lots of options. Don't require things you don't require.
When you adopt this philosophy, good things happen - almost just by redefining the terms. It's like looking at the bright side of everything. If you really accept new opportunities and don't judge too harshly or require too much out of a situation, everything comes up roses. Note that the tradeoff is, for instance, being willing to sleep on the floor of your first San Diego apartment for 8 months because you don't have a bed or a lease. But if you truly don't require much, then don't sweat it.
April 1 I quit my job at athena. April 15 I packed up my apartment and put it all in storage in San Diego. I didn't have any solid plans for where I was going to live or work. I had plenty of options: some very nice friends offered couches or spare rooms, plenty of exciting things to consider. Move? Get a job? Hike the PCT? Go back to school? Options options options.
I started halfheartedly following some of these options. I got transcripts from UNH and researched what requirements and timelines were for San Diego schools. I cruised craigslist for places to live (with Tank and Alan). I put out a single resume for a position in San Diego. I got literature on the PCT.
Some people might have been more nervous or anxious about being homeless and unemployed, even for a short period of time. I'm beginning to recognize that I thrive on it. When my back is to the wall, I can do some pretty cool stuff - I think we all can. But too seldom is my back against the wall. Right now, I feel alive and excited and free.
A few days before I moved out, Jenn and I decided that she would fly out here and we'd drive up to Boise together. Without anything chaining me down anywhere, I felt like I should have some adventure. San Diego, Vegas, Zion, Salt Lake, Boise. Keep slowly pursuing options and feeling things out. Open road ahead, wind at my back, song in my heart, free for an adventure whose nature and conclusion were uncertain.
And then that Sobohobos luck phoned me in Vegas at 8am (hrough the voice of Julie the HR recruiter). That resume I put out was potent. May 3rd, for a fun company and a good salary, I'll rejoin the workforce - in a self-employed contract position. I still don't know where I'm going to live. And that's awesome.
No stress, low effort, high yield. Just relax and let the good things happen as they may.
