My nomadic journey-2024

 

This is the definition of a nomad from the dictionary.

A person who has no fixed residence but moves from place to place, usually seasonally or within a well-defined territory.

I have never been a nomad before. I was looking forward to creating and mapping out a journey for myself. I wanted to understand this way of life and I was gifted with such an opportunity as part of my current rental agreement.

I rent a beautiful apartment from friends who live in the USA. They visit one a year. I suggested a creative rental agreement, that includes me living in their furnished apartment.  My furniture is stored on the property in a basement locker. I moved with my clothes, some personal furnishings and the rest belongs in the unit. This makes it easy for me to vacate for a few weeks, when needed. It also has given me the opportunity to create my own personal nomadic journey.

 

I vacated the apartment for 5 weeks and 3 days. I did some BIG PICTURE planning, but there were some gaps where I was not sure where I would be staying. I wanted to document my journey, experiment, and put myself outside of my comfort zone. I did not want to spend more than what my rental costs would have been as part of this process. My work allows me to be anywhere, and this has been a conscious choice for this season of life.

In a book called The 100-year life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, they share that in most cases, our intangible assets are more important than our tangible assets. The intangibles include health, relationships, and transformational skills. I certainly can testify to this.

A combination of a plan with some gaps, can make one feel unsettled, but I saw it more as an act of faith, an adventure and that these gaps would be filled with interesting people and places. When we are inflexible and everything is planned and set in stone, we miss out on the “unexpected”. I wanted to experiment and remain curious.

My journey took me from Cape Town to White River, Johannesburg, Hartbeespoort Dam, Somerset West, Simonstown, Fishhoek and back to Somerset West. I was able to stay with family and friends for most of the time. I found a gem, Airbnb, through a friend without asking. (one of the gems of the trip) I managed to see several people in each of the places I stayed and had the opportunity to have some long, deep conversations. It felt like a holiday, and I was also incredibly spoilt.

Packing for many places and spaces is not easy. I decided to travel light but have clothes for all seasons. I do not have the gift of being a good packer, but I can say that on this trip, I managed the process well. Living simply and with less, has me questioning all the other clothes left behind. We all have way too much and as I move back I will be reducing my wardrobe and giving away things I have kept, but never wear.

I was able to rest, go to aqua aerobics at Virgin Gyms in a few venues and do some walks in the beautiful environments I stayed in. I ate too well. I visited some tourists’ sites and ate in places that brought back wonderful old memories.

I am a natural introvert and need time alone to re-energise. I had some alone time in most places, and this gave me the balance I needed.

New places can create sparks of creativity and thinking differently. We are never too old to learn something new, or to be surprised by seeing the world in a different way.

I lost my dear friend Jenny whilst on this journey but was with Daphne when I received the news. We were able to spend time talking about our very special friendship and grieve together.  A friendship of more than 40 years and we lived in the same places. Florida Glen, Hartbeespoort Dam and Cape Town. Life is not guaranteed. Live each day to the full.  Do not put off that visit. Make that call.

There were some fun surprises along the journey.  My intangible asset of friends and family are without a doubt my strongest asset. I am so grateful to every person who created and made this journey special for me. I appreciate each of you.

I had contemplated finding a short-term rental in one place for the 5 weeks. I am so glad I did not do that. I would have missed out on the rich tapestry of memories that I now have. I travelled, connected, made memories, did some work, remained curious, experimented, and pushed myself outside of my comfort zone. The value of this combination of ingredients is priceless.