How I Escaped from the Rat Race - An Introduction

I've alluded to this before, but I haven't talked about it in great depth. My life really doesn't look much like that of the typical American. I don't live anywhere near the proverbial "Rat Race" which most members of our society inhabit. I don't have a job. I haven't had one for 5 years now. I don't use an alarm clock, my time is my own, I refuse to wear uncomfortable clothing or shoes, and I basically have just decided that I am not playing the game.

Every time I allude to my unconventional lifestyle, people want to know how I manage it... how I "escaped". I've been trying to figure out how to write about this topic for some time now.  I didn't inherit a bunch of money or win the lottery, and I don't have anyone who supports me financially (CatMan and I don't actually live together - long story, but we're happy this way.)

The simple answer is that a) I never really got in to the rat race to the degree that most people have, and b) I just did it. But I realize neither of those answers helps much.

So I have started about a dozen posts trying to explain how I got here, and I generally get stuck pretty quickly. The problem is, for me the how of my "escape" is intrinsically connected to the why of it. I can't seem to write about one without bringing up the other, and I firmly believe that both are equally important.

So every time I start to craft a post, I end up trying to write an entire autobiography, which is just WAY more information than can be crammed into a few blog posts, and it's also probably more than most people want or need to know. But after mulling it over for several months now, I realize that what I really keep coming up with is a bunch of little stories, each of which tells some small portion of how and/or why I got to where I am.

My problem is that I keep thinking I need to weave all of the stories together into a coherent tapestry... and I'm just not there at the moment. "Not there" in the sense that the prospect seems a bit daunting, plus it also suggests that I have "made it" to some sort of existential destination, and I really don't view it that way.

SO! I've decided that instead of trying to present some grand unified picture or road map, I'm just gonna tell my stories and let you link them together (or not) in whatever way does or doesn't make sense for you.

I'd love to be able to create some sort of step by step system that others could easily follow, but I think that in truth, everybody needs to find their own path out of the jungle.

So stay tuned! Many a story will be forthcoming in the near future!

For the next post in this series click here.