I started writing this newsletter because I was working on a memoir, a coming-of-age story of coming out as nonbinary and growing up with martial arts. That's still in progress. I don't know whether I'll ever publish a book, but Amplify Respect has taken on a life of its own in the meantime.
I think it's so important to share the awe and joy in everyday life, especially everyday life as a trans person. But sometimes everyday life does not stand out as exceptional.
I've visited and lived in a lot of geographically distant places: New Jersey, Boston, California, Japan. I get feedback on my writing that I am not treating the place as its own character. I find a lot of things are similar place to place, so sometimes I don't dive into the fascinating little details specific to one location.
So let me share where I am right now.
Yes, we're in a van again. For the last couple of summers, we've spent time mostly in the Eastern Sierra of California, camping, hiking, working from libraries, and cooking our own food over a propane stove, sitting outdoors.
I continue to work for my clients and for myself while on the road. Most often, I set up my laptop at the local library. But once in a while, I work from an absolutely gorgeous location like this community pavilion with a view of Mono Lake:
(I've got both the water bottle and the juice because I was so dehydrated that day, from the hot sun and dry air. Spending so much time outside can seem glamorous, but then sometimes it seems indoor spaces were invented for a reason!)
We get to watch a lot of wildlife. This was funny - I have no idea where the human owners of this watermelon half were, but they left it unguarded for a good 15 minutes. The geese had a leisurely snack. I believe fruits are considered reasonable food for waterfowl - people who have pet ducks and geese sometimes provide watermelon as a special treat.
One of the special things about visiting and learning about places like Mono Lake is that California Gulls become more interesting than "just seagulls."
Gulls don't generally get their adult colors (usually, white) until they are 3 years old. They can live 10 or 20 years or more in the wild.
Many California Gulls hatch on an island in Mono Lake, and then they spread out and migrate to the California coast and other places.
I think the hardest thing about being uprooted for months in a van, is constantly having to derive what daily life should be like. Part of that is what leads to adventure and discovery. But it's also difficult to make any advance online or in-person plans. Community starts to feel accidental and unpredictable.
The best community organizers tend to be rooted in their community consistently, available to reach out and interact. Of course, everyone (should) take some time off, but to switch geographic locations, time zones, and availability several times per year is a particular challenge for community projects. (Or, building a small business...)
I find myself working in a responding-to-emergencies pattern. Like, not a fire kind of emergency, but something that I didn't know a client needed until today. Or pulling together a newsletter post right before the deadline.
It's hard to find the balance between working on troubleshooting tasks, and having the space to think freely and creatively about larger scale projects or writing and design work. And of course, this is all struggling for time and energy versus going for a walk, or figuring out where to take a shower, or grocery shopping, or cooking dinner.
To write memoir, at least for me, requires some amount of focus and uninterrupted imagination, to go back in time and consider what happened and how to express it in a way that's meaningful for the reader. It's nearly impossible to do this kind of work in 5 minute chunks in between other requests, for me.
These challenges are not unique to van life. Many people who live in houses also struggle to find the space and time to do creative work.
But I think routine and boundaries can help a lot to define the time and energy for more exploratory or creative work.
And van life does not always have routine or boundaries!
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
