gypsy girl

Last week, I placed my toothbrush in a regular bathroom toothbrush holder--you know, the kind with multiple holes for all the family members to store their dental utensils. This was a significant action; I have reached a place in my life (albeit a planned temporary stage) where I am stable enough to actually take my toothbrush out of its traveling case. For the first time since May, all my possessions are in the same location that I sleep in. They're even in the house, not just the trunk of my car. This might not seem like a big deal to most people, even to many 20-somethings (who, by nature of our stage of life, are nomads--extended adolescence and the quarter-life crisis are a combination equal to that of sauerkraut-flavored spray cheese). But for me, having my books and winter coat in the same house as my pillow is a very big deal.

In the last 5 months, I have used 6 different addresses. I have lived in 4 different places ("lived" counting as at least a month) and slept in 7 different homes ("home" including a hotel suite). My possessions have been located in 9 different places, generally at least 3 places at any given time, one of them always being a car trunk. I have driven 4 different cars (for at least a week each), experienced the world-class Fresno bus system, and bummed rides from numerous people. I think I qualify for the term "gypsy."

While I'm talking terminology, I want to clarify that I am not a bum. According to the dictionary, a hobo is a migratory worker who likes to travel; a tramp travels without working; and a bum does not travel or work. Furthermore, just in case you were wondering, a vagabond is a person who leads a carefree, roaming existence, whereas a vagrant ekes out a living by begging and is often considered a nuisance. I claim the "gypsy" synonyms of itinerant, journeying, nomadic, perambulate (I particularly like this one), unsettled, pathfinder, sauntering. I reject the synonyms of aimless, errant, tourist, straggling, wayward, pioneer, and, sadly, fancy-free.

Something you should know if you become a gypsy is that it's very hard to perambulate with many belongings. I am by nature a pack-rat, and that has been a liability in my journeys. Every time I leave a place, I try to jettison some of my belongings, so I have less to travel with. Cast-offs go to the trash, recycling bin, others' pantries and closets, thrift stores. The other day, with all my things in one place, I looked at them and sized up the situation; and I believe that all of it just might fit in my car if I move to a different city. The hobos in the pictures were pretty smart to just take a bundle tied to a stick. Though I'm not sure why they wanted the stick.

That's all for this (up and running again) pilot post. More thoughts later on what I've discovered during this gypsy existence, including how to perambulate.