VERONICA KUFFEL

My Walden: Walie for Short

“Guaranteed” – Eddie Vedder, 2007

175 years ago, Henry David Thoreau walked up to society, at the sunrise of modern technology, the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, and turned the other way.

Instead of taking advantage of the century’s innovations–houses, telephones, even crude electricity–he decided to sit in the woods for two years. Sure, he grew some beans and wrote a book, but for the most part, he walked around the forest.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Thoreau fan–it would be weird to create a story around his vision if I wasn’t. I point it out because to 90% of society, he was crazy. Despite that, he still did it. He saw faults in the world and he escaped to find something more. To reflect on what was wrong and find his solution, to find his own truth. Partly for himself, and partly for the world, if they’d receive it.

Where I Will Live and What I Will Live For

And then there’s me. I’m two years out of college and working at a Whole Foods. I had a career job, but I was laid off due to budget cuts. Rent is too high and pay is too small. There’s civil unrest above, below, under and over. A vicious hunger for things and respect keeps me living for money. I personally have enough analysis paralysis for a completely new entry. Something about capitalism and materialism.

It’s a lot. And no matter how many people keep to it, for some reason I just can’t shake it. Well, reasons. Maybe it’s because I’m a zillenial disillusioned by the modern world. Maybe it’s because I’m a stunted creator who will do anything but create. Maybe I just like living without a toilet.

Whatever you choose to believe is up to you. But a few years ago, I set out to find my own Walden Pond. And his name is Walie. He’s a 2012 Ford Transit Connect with a partially broken bumper and a suspicious battery.

But otherwise, he’s reliable. Small, but enough. I spent two years and a handful of minimum wage jobs working towards him. A summer went to building a small bedroom in the back with the little construction experience I had. It’s not professional, but it’s mine.

Like Thoreau, I set out into the unknown and created my own sanctuary. Not necessarily to escape, but to reflect from the outside; to examine society and find my own truth. Leaving society to find my place in society, as a good friend of mine would say.

That’s a more pretentious way of saying I’m unhappy with the provided options and I want to create my own. I’ve never liked the idea of rushing into a career or simply a work life. But of course, that’s another story for another time.

On top of that, I’m a storyteller–always have been. But for years I’ve paralyzed myself with perfectionism and other activities. So really, I have little to show for my passion.

The Plan Furthermore

Walie is in my life for two reasons: to find my own truth and to create stories. And that’s exactly what I set out to do. For the next year, I will depart on three major road trips across the country, following the routes of my favorite travelers and finding my own along the way. I’ve made a promise to myself to create on a schedule. From essays to videos and photography, this is the start of my multimedia travel series.

Unlike a lot of traditional “van life” media, I’m not going to focus much on the build aspect. I’m not going to give you tips on how to store your food or utilize all the hidey holes in your van. I have yet to find enough good strategies for myself.

Instead, I want to focus on what I’ve distracted myself from for most of my life–myself. I want to document the experience of meeting myself head on. Like Thoreau, I want to strip myself from society and confront the essential truths of my existence.

For this leg of it, I don’t know much about blogging. I don’t read many, I’ve never written one. As far as I’m concerned, this is more of a ~digital journal~. I want the dopamine kick of a couple hundred words, but I don’t want to trail off. I’m going to tell you exactly how it is, and I’m not going to spend 5 pages describing trees (Thoreau, I love you… but I’m looking at you).

I have a lot of “drive” to accomplish this goal (get it?). Because here’s the most important reason: I want to be able to look back at myself having fun and, well, living how I want to live. I feel like we all need that for ourselves. And maybe along the way, I can open you up to living for yourself, too. To set out and find your own Walden, a retreat from society to sit and reflect. To stop surviving, and to learn “to live deliberately.”