An Experiment In Living

An Experiment in Living. That is what Henry David Thoreau called his time at Walden Pond. He "went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

I find myself now contemplating my own little experiment in living. At present our family is in a unique situation - basically we are homeless. Due to a tangled web of events, involving difficulty with board exams, flooding in North Dakota, and few other things, it was necessary that we move out of our home on June 18, with no where particular to move into. We stashed our household items in a neighbors garage and off we went. We have been living in a hotels for the bast 9 days.

Although it's not exactly economically sound in general to live your life in a hotel, it's kind of nice. For the past ten days there has been no expectations on me to clean or cook. I've had plenty of time to play and swim and do whatever the kids wanted me to. I don't even have to make any beds if I don't feel like it. It's not the life for everyone...but I kind of like it.

Things are slowly starting to fall into place. Israel passed the exam, and will need to report to Minot AFB, in Minot, North Dakota no later that July 5th. However, the city is experiencing a catastrophic flood, and much of the area is under mandatory evacuation orders. We have been advised that it's probably not a good time to come and try to find somewhere to live there at the moment. So, the kids and I need to find another place for ourselves. Utah is always an option, and we will eventually make our way there. However....

We spent the past few days in Northern Michigan, on a family vacation that we had been thinking about taking for several months now. After visiting Mackinaw City, and Mackinaw Island we made our way to Munising, Michigan, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The place is AMAZING. So beautiful, so peaceful. Awesome, perfect beaches where Quincy and Max literally spent hours entertaining themselves. I would show pictures, but the cable hooking my camera to the computer is stored in someone's shed right now. Anyway, in a few days Israel will be off to North Dakota, and the kids and I will need to find somewhere to "be". And that's where Munising comes in. You see, I'm considering taking the kids and spending several weeks just enjoying them and life in this beautiful place. I imagine us going out and exploring every day, and knowing every little spot and area of that beautiful forest. Life would be simple, we'd stay at the hotel and be safe and secure. We'd swim in the pool or the lake everyday. They could have all my attention because I would not have to be bothered with the usual tasks of tending a home. Because we have not rent or mortgage to pay right now, our housing money can really be used however we want. This just might be the chance of a lifetime, and things have "not worked out" perfectly to set it up. On the other hand, I might just be setting myself up for disaster. I would be "alone". Inevitably there will come the day when I have just had enough, and need to have a little time to myself - will the seashore offer enough distraction for them to give me a few minutes peace? What do you think - do I throw myself into this little experiment I am considering, or hop onto I-80 and make time?