6 Things I Don’t Really Miss

We’ve left behind a lot — we’re homeless, address-less, etc. — and living in a van with a platform bed in it. Our old life in Chicago was very, very nice, but I’m surprised at what we can do without. Here’s my list of things I don’t miss (in no particular order).

Lunchtime in Amurrika
Creative Commons License photo credit: disrupsean

Television

Nope, don’t miss it at all. We get all the news and entertainment we need through conversations, the internet, books, magazines, and the radio. It’s great.

Dishwasher

It helps that we basically don’t have any dishes! My latest theory is that the more dishes you have, the more dishes you will dirty. So if you don’t really like washing up, get rid of some of your dishes.

Bathroom

I thought it would be tough with no home-field advantage, but it’s actually pretty easy to find facilities in the park system and our campsites have nearly always had showers nearby. And we don’t have to ever clean them!

Refrigerator

This one is a surprise, and I’m not sure it’ll stay on the list. Things get cold enough at night so that our cooler stays cold enough without ice or electricity. We don’t have electricity to spare, so that’s good. I do, however, miss having a stock of cold beers ready to go, but now when I get one it’s a wonderful treat. And who needs beer really, when we have the best travel booze (usually) on board.

Walls

We used to have five whole rooms. Five! With doors and everything. And they had windows and floors and lights and everything. But I don’t really miss them. It helps that it hasn’t been rainy, I imagine.

Doors are done and installed
Creative Commons License photo credit: thievingjoker

Couch

Well, maybe I miss this a little. We sold ours, of course, but couches are really great for relaxing when you’ve got them. We’re making it work with our folding chairs, picnic table, and bed. I wonder if they make collapsible camping couches …