[pct-l] Rolling Stones....."a different breed of cats".

[Reinhold Metzger]

Iceaxe,
I understand your feelings about wanting the freedom to spread your wings.
I also was somewhat of a "Rolling Stone" in my younger days.
At age 20 I quit my job, packed up my VW Bus and headed west, knocking
around the country, working here and working there, wherever work was
to be found.

Hey,...it was a fun way of life for a young carefree guy like me.
Hitting the bars at night, romancing the girls and leaving a trail of
broken hearts.

Then, along came the Vietnam War and the urge for adventure enticed me
to enlist in the USMC.
While getting our rear end shot at, crawling around in the rice paddies
in Vietnam, my buddy and I where daydreaming of resuming my pre USMC
"Rolling Stone" way of life after Vietnam.
My buddies father, who was aware of our plans, was afraid that his son
might not come back wrote..."COME BACK SON, JUST COME BACK,...choose any
car you want...I'll buy you any car you choose.

A light went on in our head...."CORVETTE".
He is going to choose a convertible Corvette and we will leave a trail
of broken hearts from the West Coast to the East Coast.

There was absolutely no doubt in our minds that the women of America
would go absolutely "WILD" for good looking combat veterans like us.

Aaaahhhh.......the innocence of youth.

To make a long story short,....after Vietnam my buddy got stationed on the
East Coast and met a gal named Karen and I got stationed on the West Coast
and met a gal named Karen.

End of "broken hearts trail story".

Probably for the better that it turned out the way it did....saved the
women of America a lot of grieve and heartaches.

Well anyhow, meeting Karen had a profound impact on my "Rolling Stone"
outlook on life.
I now had Karen and wanted what was best for her.
So I buckled down, went back to school while working full time and upon
graduation embarked on a successful business career.

I guess the moral of the story is,....if you want a "Rolling Stone"
way of life, do it before a Karen comes into your life or find a Karen
that also longs to be a "Rolling Stone".

My profession gives me the freedom to take off as much time as I desire
to pursue my "Rolling Stone" ways whenever that urge arises and as a
result Karen and I have been avid  hikers since 1968.

So you see Iceaxe, it does not have to be one or the other.
If you pursue a profession, Real Estate for instance, where you are
either self employed or an independent agent you work when you want to
and play when you want to.
The down side, the more you play, the less you work, the less you earn.
But, if money is is not important then work only as much as you need
and be a "Rolling Stone" the rest of the time.

BTW....I don't have a "reentry" problem.
After an extended time in the wilderness I always look forward to
"reentry".
Hey,....I like my Ford pick-up, pizza, burgers, ice cold Bud, watching
football, sleeping in my bed, windsurfing and watching bikini clad girls
at the beach.
I guess, I must be a different breed of a cat.

JMT Reinhold
The different breed of cat
.............................
  
Iceaxe wrote:
The "insecure" way is really the secure way. (Joseph Campbell)

I am on the verge of abandoning my apartment and take to the road in an
ancient Chevy Blazer with a pop-up camper.
Long story short, I discovered my boss had committed I'd theft and racked
up an account in my name.
I don't use credit so it took me a while to find out.
There is very little work here and its expensive as hell.
I am ready to depart for fairer shores.
All my plumbing tools are loaded and my studio apt is swept clean.

I wrote the following to a total stranger regarding life on the road in an
rv:

"For some reason when i returned after hiking those 7,500 miles across 22
states and along the spine of almost every major mountain range in the
lower 48, for some reason i went right back into my old "secure" habit of
"needing" a roof above all else.
I have been miserable from the last day, June 21st 2011, when i completed
my Triple Crown, until now.
Huddled up in a 280 sq ft apartment with a lot of nosey neigbors and an
alcoholic boss.

As if all those days of freedom i spent sleeping on the dirt, living under
the sun, the moon, thru the rain and over the snow.. as if that meant
nothing.

I came right back like a good little lad and climbed back into my cage and
locked the door.

Why?"

Am i crazy?
I've scared the hell out of all my family members with my idea.
You people here are the closest thing i have to "understanding" friends.

Without telling me what to do..
What do you think of a 45 year old plumber with the obvious gaps in
employment suddenly pulling anchor and hitting the road?
Bare in mind i have all my tools aboard.
Am i going to become one of those crazy guys talking to himself and
collecting aluminum cans at rest stops? (I already talk to myself)

Any thoughts appreciated.
I haven't given notice to the landlord yet and I've got enough money to do
anything.. for a little while.

Go ahead and bash me over the head with criticism. I can take it.

Iceaxe (life was so much easier when i couldn't see the bars)

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