Spontaneity. All the best days I have are born from complete spontaneity. It’s becoming a very key component of my life.. well, let’s be honest; I’ve always been this way. Something feels different these days, though; maybe it’s the freedom of having no real responsibilities; that is, none that equate to the typical definition of the word.
I almost really fucked up this morning. I meant to catch the early bus down the hill to Sandy to go to the skatepark, gym and auto parts store before my 4pm shift. I keep forgetting that I actually sleep now though, and after yesterday’s hike up the mountain, I slept like a baby. So I woke up after the bus had left, and I weighed my options for the day. As I was about to set off to refill my water, I got a notification of my phone from the app our restaurant uses for scheduling: “Your shift starts in one hour”. As often happens with this company, more so than anyone I’ve ever worked for before; my schedule was changed with no confirmation from me. So thank god I didn’t catch that bus.. right? RIGHT!?
Wrong. I had parked down at the DIY skatepark(RIP), and as I was about to pull out on the highway, I stepped out to roll up my passenger curtain so I could see oncoming traffic. I really gotta make that a learned habit. As I was getting back into the drivers seat, I heard a ding from my phone; and lo and behold; my manager said i wasn’t needed that day. Well, actually he gave me the option of a shorter shift or no shift. I do want the hours; but my day seemed more important than a literal three hour shift.. so my blinker changed from left to right, and I was on my way to the bus.
By the time I got off in Sandy, the sun had already done its job. It was hot out. I’m not too far away as far as the crow flies, but the elevation change is significant. After grabbing a coffee from the local sevvy(what I’ve always called 7-Eleven.. idk if I’m alone of that one), I hesitantly approached the skatepark.. afraid I was going to be met with a ton of children treating it like a playground. And I was. But it wasn’t as bad as usual, and I managed to get a solid two hours on without being murdered by a 5 year old.. somewhat of an accomplishment at this amazing park.
I wrapped up around 2pm, and thought I might have time to sneak down to the river on my way to the gym to work out and steal a shower. About a mile through the woods from the skatepark, there’s a beautiful little swimming and fishing spot. I quickly jumped in, and realized I was kind of cutting it close to the last bus up the hill if I wanted to work out. I decided to press my luck though, and about halfway through my shower I realized, *”hey, fuck going UP the hill. Go DOWN!”. So, spontaneously, I made the last minute decision to head to Portland for the night. No van to sleep in this time- I’d have to improvise.
If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’re probably starting to pick up on the fact that I don’t always think things through. I’ve lived most of my life this way, and although it’s put me in some unfavorable and downright terrible situations; I don’t regret a moment of it. So I let my old instincts take hold and just figured worst comes to worst I sleep down by the river like I did last time. It’s nice out, and despite being woken up by someone trying to steal my skateboard; it’s a comfortable spot 😂
The train from Gresham got in around 8pm, and as I was getting off I got a call from one of my “bosses”- really just someone I’ve worked with on a writing project thats become a friend, but also still feels like a boss of sorts. Anyways, he was just calling to check in and when I was telling him about just randomly pulling into Portland, he said he’d put me up in a hotel. I gratefully declined, not wanting him to do that, but he assured me that if I booked it, he could write it off as a company charge and reimburse me. I asked if he was absolutely sure, and he gave a strong 90%; and if it didn’t work by some chance that he’d pay me back himself.
I won’t take him up on that, so if the company won’t do it I’ll just take the hit. We’ll see if I get that $100 back; but it sounds pretty promising, and I’m just honestly grateful to stay in an actual room for once. It’s been a long time since I’ve slept in an actual bed, and had running water. I was afraid it might make me somewhat envious and regretful of my van decision, but instead it was kind of the opposite. Not having to put on shoes to use the bathroom and having my own shower was a huge plus, but overall; I feel just as comfortable in the van. And I am RELIEVED to feel that way. I am open to returning to a more traditional life in the future; but I want it to be for a reason. I meet someone, want to start a family- some shit like that. Not just for silly little comforts.
I can’t lie though, it was amazing to be in a hotel for the night. Huge shout out to my homie! I sprawled out on the queen size bed while my phone charged, walked around downtown for a couple hours, and ended up taking two showers before falling asleep because it was just so god damn nice to have the option. The irony is I actually ended up sleeping less than usual, just because I wanted to take full advantage of the available amenities.
I have the day off tomorrow(somehow this turned into a three day weekend), and am hoping to get up to some fun shit around Portland as I am slowly learning this town, I am loving it more and more. Then back up another 7000 feet in elevation, a mere 40 miles away. Cheers everyone 🥂