it was a sticky sweaty morning in Chiang Mai as we rolled out of our hotel one late August morning when the idea first sprung. “I’m cuttin my hair off”, I proclaimed to Nicole. Of course then, the reality of parting with a piece of my physical self that had been so much a part of me set in….i needed to think…so we went to McDonalds for coffee. The caffeine sided with my rational thought process which was tired of tasting melted hair wax and so I marched into the first barber I saw….and the rest was scattered on the floor 20 minutes later.
Fast forward nearly 2 years later. Most of which I had kept the bald look. Only in the past 2 months for nostalgia sake and somewhat to make momma happy, I grew the micro-fro back. It was fun, awkward and an interesting experiment in how hair can effect the psyche of the individual and those who he/she comes in contact with. Without it….in Korea, my head is super tiny…which to the locals is awesome. With it, i’m an alcoholic sex crazed foreigner….which at times I can see the misconception but the overall judgement is a bit harsh and unfounded. I personally feel much more at ease with less going on up top. Its cool, easy to manage and aerodynamic….i think in the dude’s handbook, those criteria are paramount across a broad spectrum of a mans life.
Over the past several years of my life, the nostalgia and attachment to things has dwindled. I find myself less attached to material things and inconsequential aspects of living and can let go rather easily. Hair is no exception. Two days ago after scrubbing the mass of product out of my scalp I made the chop again…..
Hairs done.
adam
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Intentionally and incrementally. Most families who live this way did not leap from conventional to adventurous overnight. They built remote work capacity, paid down debt, tested longer trips, and had increasingly honest conversations about what they actually want from their lives. The leap feels bigger from outside than from inside.
Different for every family. For some it is long-term travel. For others it is weekend adventures close to home. What connects them is intentionality about how time is spent and a preference for experiences over accumulation. The version that fits your family is the right one.
By finding stability within the adventure rather than treating them as opposites. Routines, rituals, and family rhythms travel with you. Familiar foods, bedtime routines, and predictable family dynamics provide stability even when the location changes. Kids need consistency in relationships more than consistency in geography.
That people are fundamentally similar across cultures in what they want for their families. That comfort zone is a smaller circle than it feels from inside. That the things worth having in life require effort and discomfort to get. And that time together doing hard interesting things is the most reliable source of family closeness.
By getting clear on why you made the choices you made and returning to that clarity when the outside noise gets loud. Most families living unconventionally describe an initial period of explaining themselves that gradually gives way to just living the life. The explaining becomes less necessary as the results become visible.
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