The short answer: Because, thank God, 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 an extended period without having to make sacrifices or face any major setbacks.
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 that was deep —spoiler alert: it gets even deeper.
The fact that I can do this is, at first glance, just a simple reality 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 this way to a good friend I met while traveling:
Sometimes I feel like a"
" "left over."
What might sound sad to many people at first isn’t really. Because, as everyone knows, leftovers—in a foodie sense —are sometimes even better than eating the dish fresh. It often depends on the situation—meaning: not every leftover is bad, and so it’s not bad to feel that way either. It’s more of a description of my reality.
At my age, 95% of people are married, and most of them now have children and have started their own little families. I’m truly happy for each and every one of them and glad that they’ve found their own personal happiness.
Could I have imagined that for myself? Absolutely!
Did I set out to do that, or build my life around it? Certainly not!
And as much as I love my friends and would always do anything for each of them, the realities of our lives are drifting further apart every day:
Our worries... Problems... Everyday life... Topics... 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?
Maybe someone is familiar with that meme featuring a penguin that suddenly and inexorably breaks away from its group and heads unwaveringly toward the mountains. At the end, the narrator asks, “BUT WHY?” The answer remains open-ended.
He will probably die alone and exhausted at some point.
Or maybe he’ll find other penguins who, like him, have broken away from their groups, and something new will emerge.
The most likely scenario is that he’ll eventually find his way back to his old group. He’ll bring with him new stories, impressions, and plenty to share. Just like in “BUT WHY,” the outcome remains open-ended…
