Analog nomads . . . . .
When I decided to focus on the Are vs Should Problem, or the struggle between the person you ARE and the person you feel like you SHOULD BE, I was thinking mostly about the SHOULD part.
To me, the issue isn’t so much about figuring out who we ARE, it’s more about telling the SHOULDs to be quiet. And figuring out how to do that.
The AREs are things we want to be, know we are, and find comfort in. The SHOULDs tend to be things we don’t necessarily want to do or be, but feel (for varying reasons) that we are supposed to do or be.
In the AVS interview series, I’ve talked to people across the spectrum of ARE to SHOULD. Most people talked about their struggles with the SHOULDs, even if they were/are currently living mostly in their ARE. I think most of us would rather be seen as living in our AREs, but few of us are doing it well. I think you will agree that Pat exemplifies what it looks like when you are minimally influenced by the status quo.
Pat Schulte is someone I thought might not have much to say at all about the SHOULD, because it seems to me he, and his family, live primarily in their ARE.
I knew about Pat, his wife Ali, and their two kids, through their blog called Bumfuzzle. I am interested in sailing, and as you may know my wife and I plan to move on to a sailboat at some point in the not-too-distant future. So I discovered Bumfuzzle as I searched for role models who had done similar, seemingly crazy, things.
And if you didn’t catch the word ‘blog’, let me mention that there are no videos nor audio on Bumfuzzle. It is a blog in the most classic, analog sense. Pat writes posts about their adventures. They are accompanied by excellent digital images, but that’s as far as it goes with respect to the YouTube, Instagram world we live in. Nearly all of the other adventurer web pages feature video nowadays.
But that doesn’t detract from the Bumfuzzle story – it accentuates the coolness of it. The adventureness of it. The ARE of it.
In short, Pat and Ali left the rat race as we know it in their late 20s and have not stopped in twenty years. Whether boat, car, motorhome, or camper trailer they have lived a nomadic lifestyle. They seem to go where they please, however they choose, at whatever pace they happen to take. It’s the most carefree thing I can think of.
Yet Pat holds a job, albeit one that allows him to work remotely, and they are not independently wealthy. They also have two kids along for the adventure. Their lives are far from easy, but they seem simple. They figured out what they wanted and made it happen.
Which is why I like using the term analog to describe them – and Pat didn’t seem to mind this term. They are like analog nomads. . . .
Before KEW, reading their blog made me feel like I was watching Star Wars. It seemed like such a fantasy. But they are DOING IT. The live it. And they don’t seem to be any worse for the wear. In fact, and you can see this in the interview, Pat seems so . . . . normal. So peaceful and calm. So centered. So wise.
Maybe the AREness of their lifestyle isn’t correlated to that vibe. But I’m going to argue it is.
I find Bumfuzzle inspring. It is so important to have a mirror to reflect back to you the life you want. I hope the Schulte’s adventures do this for you as they do for me. I hope you are inspired to live more in your ARE, and to make the sacrifices to do so knowing there is value there.
You can listen to the interview with any of the popular podcast apps, or directly in your browser here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/530563/10114713
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If you prefer, you can watch the interview on the KEW YouTube channel here:
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Here’s a snippet from the interview: