That coffee shop chat with a retired nomad that stuck with me

I was at a co-work spot in Medellin last month and this guy in his 60s sat next to me grinding away on some spreadsheets. We got talking and he told me he'd been doing this since 1998, way before it was trendy. He said the key isn't the locations or the gear, it's having a skill that travels well and knowing when to unplug completely. Made me realize I've been chasing the wrong parts of this lifestyle for like 3 years. Anyone else ever have a random conversation that totally flipped how you see your day to day?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_thomas918d ago

3 years in and that guy hit the nail on the head with the skill thing. I've watched so many people burn out chasing the perfect setup or the next hot spot, but they can't actually work once they get there. It's like how everyone at my local gym buys new shoes and a fancy water bottle but never actually shows up to lift. We get distracted by the props and miss the main act.

the_sean17d ago

And what do you think it is about the gear and the setup that pulls people in so hard? Is it just marketing, or is there something deeper where people feel like owning the stuff somehow makes them a part of the thing they want to be? I see it in music too with people buying expensive guitars and pedals but never learning to play a full song. The props feel like a shortcut to the identity without putting in the actual work.