I’ve been in Orlando for about 10 days. Already, it feels like home. How weird.
Renting in Orlando
I’m renting a room in a tiny house with four roommates, 3 bed, 1 bath. Too small. I plan on moving to a much nicer place in Downtown Orlando next week with only 1 roommate. The new place is in a great neighborhood and less than a mile from the grocery store, the bars, the gym, and a pho restaurant. However, the lease runs until January so I’m committed to staying in Orlando for several months then.
This will be my 10th+ (?) dorm, house, or apartment since I was 18. I’ve probably had some 20+ roommates too. I’m starting to see trends in terms of what my ideal living space and roommates are.
Training Postponed
The only reason I came to Orlando was to do physical training with a world class trainer. Unfortunately, that training program is indefinitely postponed leaving me a bit anxious and confused. What am I doing here then? Should I leave? The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. I’ve thought about just returning home. But, I’m taking a leap of faith and hoping the program begins soon. I plan on training myself in the meantime. I always believed my weakness was never eating enough.
Exploring Orlando
Meanwhile, I’ve been exploring Orlando and meeting new people. More has happened in the last ten days than I ever did in a month back in Washington DC.
- Rode a hour bike trail on West Orange Trail. Not a big deal, but I honestly never rode a bike before.
- Went to a private BBQ Pool Party. I got invited while I was buying a blender off of Craigslist.
- Ate Dim Sum with a bunch of local foodies.
- At a bar, befriended new friends recently moved from Kansas. We went to Daytona Beach on Monday.
- I got a haircut with a guy from Craigslist after checking out his house.
- Did a group meditation yesterday with a good, local Vipassana meditation group in Winter Park.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m happy to be meeting new people. My biggest worry was leaving my friends back home. While, I still miss all of them, it’s nice to be around people.
The RV
Meanwhile, my RV motorhome is only being used as my city car. I would much prefer my old Nissan than this gas eating monster. I think I’m getting 10-15 mph in the city.
Part of me is regretful that I ever purchased the RV. I haven’t lived in it yet, and I still have more repairs to be done. Last week, there was a brake spring broken ($150) to replace (shouldn’t of taken it to a dealer). There’s a transmission seepage problem which the VW Dealership quoted me $500, but found a local mechanic willing to do it for $220. Also, an A/C Pressure Switch literally blew up ($100-$300?) with plastic fragments everywhere. Pretty sure, this can be blamed on my last VW Dealership in Dover overfilling the freon (1 lb) despite my repeated warnings. In the future, I need to replace the 3 way refrigerator with a AC/DC only refrigerator that works on any angle. That will cost at least $500. If I live in this thing for at least a year and able to sell it, it will have been worth it. 2 years, and it’d pay for itself. But, I’m not sure I’m up for it now.
Somehow, my charge controller fell off the wall despite being screwed in. After a hour of desperate labor, I got it mounted back on permanently. But the battery voltage sense wires went dead or something because it’s no longer working. It’s not necessary to recharge the batteries, but it is something I need to fix eventually.
What am I Doing? What’s the Future?
Everyone asks, so what are you doing? Wish that I knew. I’m continuing my normal IT job which is suddenly much more attractive now that I’ve moved.
After last night’s group meditation session, I remembered how much I miss contemplative practice though. These are my people. This is my destiny. But I’m not ready to fully commit myself to spiritual practice yet. But I see a day when I’ll spend a year or lifetime seeking God, Moksa, Dharma, Buddha, Dao, or whatever.
The goals remain the same I guess as always.
- Get physically fit. Eat right. Gain some 10-20 lbs of muscle.
- Deepen my spiritual practice. Zen & Vipassana Meditation. Tai chi. Yoga Practice. Reading.
- Further my career and life skills whether it’s Internet Marketing, Web Development, or so on.
- Keep the RV road ready and eventually travel cross country.
- Get my social skills to the next level. Befriend anyone anywhere.
- Become more and more a minimalist.
- One day be a mentor, teacher, coach.
Physically health. Mental health. Spirituality. Self-sufficiency. Independence. Travel. Money. Relationships. Giving Back.
My entire life, I’ve spent trying to figure out my identity. Constantly evolving. Giving up pieces of my identity that were once my core. Gamer. Webmaster. Philosopher. Spiritual Seeker. Academic. I want to be a fully balanced person as far as possible. I’m reminded of the last 11 lessons in Neil Strauss’ Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead.
- Let go of the past.
- Fame won’t make you feel any better about yourself.
- The secret to happiness is balance.
- Fix your issues now, because the older you get, the worse they become. (this one in particular I wish people focused on)
- It takes more than confidence to succeed; it takes unshakeable belief.
- Derive your self-esteem from within, not from others’ opinions.
- Say yes to new things.
- Live in truth.
- Trust your instincts.
- Be happy with what you have.
- Everyone loves you when you’re dead.