The pilot announces; “Cabin crew, please take your seat for landing”. Tom has lost count of how many times he has heard those words, but every time he finds his seat next to his colleague as the plane is about to touch the ground. This is the final flight for who knows how long. After all the passengers have left, he rushes off the plane. His experienced mind takes him through the airport like a magician. Feet are moving like drumsticks. The rapid sound of his work shoes chimes through the hallways. He is pulling the wheeled suitcase with a big smile on his face. He doesn't know when he will be back here, but all he knows is that is a long time until he will rush this much. There is no rush now, he is just excited to get home. It's not far from the airport and it can be far away. The next couple of months will be far far away. He will drive his van down to Portugal in the search of waves.
Tom has always been drawn to the ocean. There is something special being in the water, feeling the nature on his body, seeing all the beauty that hides under the surface. After moving around, between different countries, he ended up in Holland. Discovering that surfing was a possibility made his day, and he got a lesson as soon as he could. From that day, back in 2016, there has been something about surfing that has captured his heart. Not being able to surf all the time while working, he still picked up a board every time he had the chance. Whether it was in Holland, France, Portugal, or Morocco. No matter where it is always a struggle the first couple of sessions coming back to surfing. Being out of paddle shape, not feeling the water as he did the last time. This time is different, he is committing to it for a longer period. He always aims to get better. A couple of years ago he was out surfing in France. It was one of the bigger days. Nice waves coming in, but also a heavy break. He went in. Wiping out, on one of the waves he got a proper hold down. A hold down, that just wouldn’t let go. Underwater, the time moves slowly, every second feels like minutes. This put a scare in him, but not enough to keep him away from surfing it was just the respect of the power of the water that grew. He is always coming back to the ocean.
An idea struck him about two winters ago, he should move into a van. The search for the perfect van started. Not too big, not too small, but high enough to stand inside and something he could fix himself. He spends a couple of months building it. Getting the kitchen in the right place, planning all the storage that he would need. Designing the van he had to consider that he would also do a lot of stealth camping, but he also wanted light inside. He put in 6 tinted windows, and painted the van black. From the outside it dosent look like a camper. Inside he wanted to make It more as a home. Wooden walls, practical ceilings, and floors. Clever storage units though out the van. And a bathroom to make it a fully functional home on wheels. The winter in Portugal may get cold, but the heater will keep the van nice and toasty. The solar on his roof will keep him powered up on sunny days and his alternator gives him the possibility to charge his batteries while he is driving. This setup is perfect for him at the moment. But as most van lifer knows, life might change, and something perfect now, might not be in the future, but then he will just adjust.
Living in a van makes Tom's life enjoyable. It is the way he wants to live it, the possibility to change plans, or even better, not plan at all, just live. Chase waves, good weather or hang out with friends. In Europe, there are a lot of people living in a van, some full time, others for vacations for a couple of weeks or months. Tom has an infectious smile and attitude, so getting friends is easy for him. Connecting with other van lifers is its unique way of living. Some he might hang out with for a couple of weeks, others one night and then they’ll go their separate ways. Never any bad blood. Once the paths cross he enjoys it for however long it lasts. It helps him stay present, but also in an awareness of his own emotions and needs. If he needs some alone time, he finds his own space. Stay there until he moves on. That's the beauty of having a house on wheels. Where ever he decides home will be, he got everything at an arms reach. For some people, this is so far out of their comfort zone, but for Tom, this is living.
There are not a lot of things in Tom's life that are static. He is constantly moving, it makes him happy. Labels are not of his identity, but the term queer is a good one, it gives him the freedom not to be defined by a word. He knew he was queer around 15 and he has experimented with both girls and boys. Parts of his family know that he has had a boyfriend for several years, and nobody made any real fuss that it was a boy and not a girl. Relationship, either way, has its pros and cons. For him, most of the time it is easier to communicate with a guy, but he never seems to find those romantic feelings, while for girls it is the other way around. He is an open person and more interested in people than identifying with a label. The connection and his feelings are important in every encounter with any person he meet, and sometimes that will turn into something romantic, other times it could be an amazing friendship. The positive energy of the people that he encounters is the one that he cherishes. Focusing on living his life, enjoying it as much as possible, and being able to be spontaneous, open for new experiences is the key to happiness.
Comentários