The short answer: Because, thankfully, I’m privileged enough to be able to do so. The more and longer you travel to a place, and the more you interact with the local people, the more you come to appreciate that, if you want to, you can travel to virtually any destination and stay almost anywhere for as long as you like, without having to make compromises or face any restrictions.
I realize that not everyone in Germany can become a “digital nomad,” whether because of their job, financial situation, family circumstances, or other reasons. But knowing full well that there are many people in Germany who are worse off than I am, I can say that people in other parts of the world struggle even more and often live from hand to mouth—or even worse.
That was the short answer.
If you thought it was deep already – spoiler alert: it gets even deeper.
The fact that I can do this is, at first glance, just a simple truth that I share with many others. But why am I one of the few who actually do it? And that’s where the rub lies.
Left over
I once described it to a good friend I met while traveling:
Sometimes I feel like a "left over".
What may sound sad to many people at first is not sad at all. Because, as everyone knows, leftovers are sometimes even more delicious than eating the dish straight away, in a foodie sense. It often depends on the situation—in other words, not every leftover is bad, and so it's not bad to feel that way. It's more of a description of the reality of my life.
At my age, 95% are married and most have children and have started their own little families. I am genuinely happy for each and every one of them and am delighted that they have found personal happiness.
Could I have imagined that for myself? Definitely!
Did I plan it that way or organize my life around it? Definitely not!
And as much as I love my friends and would always do anything for each of them, the realities of our lives drift further apart every day:
Our worries... Problems... Everyday life... Issues... Weekends...
Some people will surely think it sounds like I’m running away from the reality of my life. In a way, that’s certainly true. But during my travels, I’ve met many people who feel the same way I do. And maybe, instead of running away, I’ve simply found a new reality?
Perhaps you've seen the meme with the penguin that suddenly and inexorably separates itself from its group and heads unwaveringly toward the mountains. At the end, the narrator asks, "BUT WHY?" The answer remains open.
He will probably die lonely and exhausted at some point.
But maybe he will find other penguins who, like him, have broken away from their groups, and something new will emerge.
The most likely scenario is that he will eventually find his way back to his old group. He will bring with him new stories, impressions, and all sorts of things to tell. As in "BUT WHY," the outcome remains open...
