Last night, I parked in a city with a crime rate 46% higher than the national average. As soon as I exited the highway, it was clear there was a lot of suffering within the invisible borders of this particular zip code.
A stark contrast from where I spent the last couple of weeks – a spot where the closest town's population is so low some may argue it isn't even worth counting. I lived every day relishing the silence, fixing my eyes on nature without manmade obstructions and feeling safe in my body.
On my way out of the borderline abandoned town, I filled my water where the hand drawn sign said $10 dump. At the spigot, there was a homemade money collection container taped to the pole, with a slit cut in the top of the plastic lid big enough to stick your whole hand in. It wouldn't have lasted a second in this crime ridden city.
In another life, with a different set of circumstances, I could have been born in this city. I could know nothing of the peace just a short drive away. I thank my lucky stars that in this life, I have the freedom to turn the key and go.
#roadlife #boondocking #storiesfromtheroad #realvanlife ##vanlifecamper