CLAFC – Creativity, Learning, Adventure, Freedom & Cessation

It’s both fun and a little scary to say we are now land-homeless, and basically without any significant income. I guess we officially started our full-time cruising lifestyle a few months ago when we said goodbye to our house in Thunder Bay, and made our way down to southern Ontario where our boat lay waiting. A sudden (but not unexpected) family death derailed our sailing plans for this year, so our first year of “cruising” will be spent exploring the continent by motorcycle and tent.

We have a few friends and family members we plan to visit along the way, but most of the time will be spent living simply and (hopefully) cheaply, all the while visiting interesting and warm places. We’ll get back to the boat in early April and carry on from there.

Our cruising plans quite intentionally have a certain philosophical approach; CLAFC: Creativity, Learning, Adventure, Freedom & Cessation. Each of these terms expresses a world of ideas that are important for how me and my partner choose to live. We live with these ideas whether we are off wilderness sailing, or living on land.

Creativity is a life-giving view of the world. For me it means seeking new ways of doing things, and simply enjoying the aesthetic of the here and now.

Learning … never stop learning. Living off the prescribed path is a great way to foster this.

Adventure comes in all forms, be it the big sail, or the small walk. I will never shatter records, discover new things, or challenge the gods of nature in any way, but I do enjoy poking into that unknown cove, or trying that weird looking vegetable.

Freedom drives much of what we do. To me freedom is the ability to do what I want, when I want. It’s an ideal which is never full reached, but I can do some things to go toward the Form of Freedom. For me (and not necessarily for anyone else):

• I avoid debt (b/c this is one of the ways our society keeps people chained to the treadmill).
• Keep mechanical & electrical systems simple (b/c I’m not much of handyman).
• And live inexpensively, (b/c I’m kinda lazy and don’t like wage work).

Cessation is my active way of ceasing to be part of the problem. From over-consumption to financial greed, my society does great harm to the planet we all call home. I don’t have the energy to try and save the world, but I can stop being part of the problem (at least to some degree).