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I created this for both to express their own perspectives and to try to understand each other's way of thinking.~
I am a Wanderer, I will stay in one place for months but after 5-7 months I get the urge to move on to somewhere new and unknown.
I feel there is so much out there, so much to see, to learn, to do, to experience, to live, life is a wonderland to me and I want to experience it!
The longest job I've ever had was being a Volunteer at a Library for over 1 Year, I really loved the job, because I loved books and taking care of them, but I got tired of dreaming about adventures and I wanted to actually have them. So I quit.
I've been wandering from place to place ever since and I like it. I'm trying to learn how to wander without spending any money at all. I've always been different from what was considered "normal and proper": while others concerned themselves with popularity, control, and money I was thinking about the meanings of everything, exploring new experiences, and learning about everything. This I continue to do.
The only "normal" job I ever had was being a Janitor, but I only worked 1 Night as I thought that existence was miserable and was not worth any amount of money. It wasn't the cleaning, I clean all the time at home, it was the reason for cleaning that I disliked: when I clean at home I do it for the reason of wanting my home clean, but cleaning up after other people I would most likely never meet at night and alone felt cold and purposeless.
While other people concerned themselves with the comforts money can bring them, I sought the knowledge of what came before money and how to live without it if I ever needed to.
This is my own perspective of being a wanderer.
What do you see yourselves as and what are your perspectives?
I tend to stay in the same place for long periods. I grew up in the same house, and my parents still live there. I had a couple apartments after college, each for 4-8 years. The I bought my house in 2002, and I'm still there.
I've worked for exactly 3 companies in my life:
In high school I started working for the Gap, and I stayed with them through college, and even part time for a few years after college when I was not making decent money in my field (mental health) yet.
At my first mental health employer, I was hired in 1993, and gradually moved up the ranks, picking up my Master's degree along the way, and left in 2003. I only left after several changes happened all at once that caused way too much stress (I hate change!)
I started my current mental health company in 2003, and I'm still here, also having moved up internally to higher and higher positions over the years.
I stay in homes a long time, in relationships a long time, and in jobs a long time. Nothing about drifting or "adventure" sounds appealing to me. By no means do I have a "boring" life, but someone in the first category would probably think so. But I would probably consider your life "chaotic" and "unstable." I still pursue interesting and fun things; I just like having my nice stable home to go home to, and my nice stable job.
I like being the person who has been around for a long time, who knows the history of how this department started, or how that policy came about. I guess I like being the "Yoda" of information, who's been around forever and can see the big picture from a higher altitude than the "newbies" can.
Hell, I have clothes I bought in the 90s that I still wear (and that are still in good shape and "classic" style). I don't go in for fads. I have no distress at getting "locked into" a 2-year cell phone plan, because I dread when I actually have to go get a new phone. I would keep this one for years until it no longer works. I take care of cars and keep them for at least 10 years. I just repainted my bedroom the exact color I painted it 7 years ago. I like that color, why change it? My heart sinks when I go to buy my favorite products in the store and the package says "New! Improved!"
My themes in my life are stability, reliability, continuity, predictability. I always think it's interesting when "continuity" people and "change/wanderer" people compare notes on their values. It's best when we're strangers like this, and not in a close relationship because that's when these differences cause problems. The world needs both types of people, so neither is right or wrong.
If I were to try to live a "wanderer" life, in which I had lots of frequent change, I would feel ungrounded, unsettled, anxious. I like my roots to be planted deeply.
I want to meet someone or multiple people some day who would join me on my journeys, one of my fears is meeting someone I really want to be around, but they want to stay in one place permanently. I may change one day, but right now I don't feel like staying in one place permanently is something I like the idea of. The 5-7 months thing isn't a constant thing for me, it just seems that is what happened with my last living situation. Why would I stay in one place until I die when there is so much more out there to see, to explore, and to experience?
I want long, permanent, strong, and deep bonds with people for this is how I believe love develops, the kind that I want. I do want to have children one day and having a lot of money and staying in one place for a child's stability is a modern notion that I don't agree with along with the schooling system: I got my GED at 17, I see no reason why my children would not be able to do the same.
As for other people: I don't control other people and I wouldn't want to. By the same logic I wouldn't want them to attempt to control me. If they want to stay in one place for the rest of their lives, then I wish them well, but I'm honest about the kind of person I am and what I want in my life so it wouldn't be fair to either of us to expect the other one to change or go against what they want to make themselves happy.
I'm not trying to split up everyone into 2 types of people: I'm just trying to get people to express their perspectives on what may be 1 part of them that is a wanderer or resident so that we can all understand each other better as people, not as wanderers and residents.
a LOT more people would wander, IF they had guaranteed income and plenty more money in the bank. they stay in one place cause they're scared of not having their standard of living if they wander.
a LOT more people would wander, IF they had guaranteed income and plenty more money in the bank. they stay in one place cause they're scared of not having their standard of living if they wander.
This does seem to be a widespread viewpoint. Is this your perspective as well?
It's possible that lots of "residents" would become "wanderers" if they had the financial security to do so. But I also believe that many of then, like me, would still be the type to favor roots, continuity, staying in place. If I were to suddenly have a windfall of a million or so dollars, I would still be the way I am now, albeit with more savings/investments. More money would not mean I'd be traveling the world, moving every few years, or getting new cars and gadgets more frequently.
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