Baby Boomer Walkabout
Wikipedia defines a walkabout as the following:
Walkabout refers to a rite of passage during which male Australian Aborigines would undergo a journey during adolescence and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months.
I have a client who just completed a baby boomer walkabout.
Bill (not his real name) was laid off from his job in the fall of 2014. It came as a complete surprise to him. Bill is in his late 50s and has always worried about money. He has been fanatical about saving his money for retirement.
One Month Walkabout
Bill decided to wait until the next year to start his job search. He also decided to buy a Rail Pass and travel the US for an entire month. What he did not realize was that this would turn out to be a baby boomer walkabout.
He spent the month sleeping on friends’ couches, park benches (illegally), in a rental car, and other odd places. He spent a lot of time by himself.
He met many people who were living a very minimalist lifestyle. What he noticed about them was that they were happy!
He spent a month in utter simplicity. He found that all he needed was healthy food, a place to sleep, a place to exercise, and good coffee.
His walkabout was a true moment of clarity!
My Walkabout 35 Years Ago
In 1980, I was working for IBM…and was very unhappy. I decided to take my own walkabout! I had two weeks vacation and asked for 12 more weeks off without pay.
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The reaction from management was, “You want what?”
My request was turned down.
My boss did some research and discovered he could give me two weeks off without pay without needing to get approval from upper-level management.
He granted my request, and I spent four weeks hiking through Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. The last excursion of the trip was to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and camp.
It took two weeks into the trip to wind down and relax. By the third week, I did not know what day of the week it was and didn’t care. I spent most of the month by myself. I met a lot of fascinating people.
When I got back, I was a changed person: I now saw life through a different, relaxed lens. Like Bill, I realized I needed very little to make me happy.
One week after my return, I met my lovely wife. Hmm…I’m sure this was no coincidence!
I considered selling all of my worldly possessions and joining the Peace Corps.
Did I? NO!
I went back to work, got married, had a child…but I did know myself a whole lot better. I still believe I missed a valuable opportunity. I had my moment of clarity but I let it pass!
Bill and His Walkabout
Before Bill’s trip, I sent him a link to an article in the Huffington Post about Tim and Lynne Martin called, “How We Downsized 2,000 Sq. Ft. Into Two Rolling Duffles To See The World.” Tim and Lynne sold all of their possessions and traveled the world. They chronicled their adventures on their Home Free Adventures website.
Bill has since returned home and is interviewing for a new job, however, with a very different perspective on life. He is thinking of selling his big house, disposing of many material possessions, and following a similar path of Tim and Lynne Martin.
Bill has a level of contentment and peace that he has rarely experienced in his life. His walkabout experience was truly life changing—but now what?
Bill is giving himself two years to prepare AND two years to negotiate with his spouse on what is next.
Have you taken a walkabout? If you did, what did you learn? What did you change?
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WOW! Can I relate. After a lifetime of working and taking care of others and giving all I had, I totally burned out and jumped. Quit my job and am taking a sabatical. Nothing major like these tales but took time for my self. Finally coming back to life after 18 months and took another jump. Bought a house, moving out of state after 35 years in one place. I am ready for a new adventure and look for work in an unrelated field doing something I want to do not have to do. Scary but not stressed. Since I no longer need or want the material life, I think I will enjoy it. Oh, did I mention the love of my life will be there to share it with me!
Sandra,
I am going back through my blog posts and found your comment. Good for you.
I especially liked your comment “Since I no longer need or want the material life, I think I will enjoy it.”.
Marc Miller
Great blog. There is something VERY special about being “gone” for over 3 weeks. I’ve done this once on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1981 when I backpacked for 4 weeks / 400 miles and again after grad school when I traveled to New Zealand / Australia for 7 months. Two years ago I hiked 200 miles on the PCT for nearly 3 weeks as well.
We have no idea on how fast our own treadmill is going. The ability to get rid of baggage and to REALLY slow down and think about things. Not really big thoughts necessarily, just slowing dow to think, is important to us. But you don’t realize it until you take 3+ weeks and decompress.
Jim,
I am doing a year in review of my blog and realized I missed your comment. It no longer takes me three weeks to decompress but it does not happen immediately.