When I biked across the country (see Days 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35), I camped for the 90 days it took. That was my first time truly camping as an adult, with my own tent.
As someone who was raised in extremely large cities, I am accustomed to the conveniences urbanism brings. Electricity and running water as ubiquitous and readily accessible. Heat, fire to prepare meals. Dirt, bugs and the elements, dismissible by simply walking into the other side of a door.
One crucial lesson I learned about myself was my incredible ability to adapt. As accustomed I was to the city, I was instantaneously able to find my rhythm in living a life of the bare minimum. That time, when I had everything I needed on my bike, was one of my happiest memories.
Function was weighed above form, and efficiency above luxury. When I came off my bike at the end of the day I had sometimes biked 200 mile stretches. My priorities were food, rinse and rest. Nothing else mattered. My hair grew without a cut the entire duration of the trip and I developed the most insane bikers tan (see photo from Day 34).
But I was happy. When it was cold I put on a hat, when it was blazing I took off my shirt. Life was simple. I had everything I needed to adapt. That was one of my greatest lessons from that trip, and perhaps set the foundation for my realization that we in fact need very little to be happy.
Today on Day 340 of my 365 Release practice for non-attachment, letting go and change, I am giving away my beanie from that bike trip. It gave me everything I needed to keep warm, even one night when we woke up in Wyoming with ice on our tents.
Life is beautiful. Basic life is even more beautiful.
Just like I am today. I am happy because I have made my internal life simple through mindfulness work and my external life simple through this project.
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