I Gave Away All My Possessions at Age 60 and Then I Had a Nervous Breakdown
Here’s just a little of what I learned along the way
What the hell did I do? I gave away all my possessions, left my vocation, and my community of 24 years, and walked away from everything I knew. All I had was a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, hiking boots, a change of clothes, and my cell phone.
I left my life behind.
The day before I left, I had a nervous breakdown, that later turned into a breakthrough.
Did I just sabotage my life, and at 60 no less? At first, I thought I had lost my mind. And in actuality, that was the point — to let go of everything I thought I knew and begin again.
If I was to start over, I wanted to know what my life would look like.
It was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I’ve ever experienced. I had no plan other than to walk north out of Los Angeles.
With each step, an unexpected feeling began to emerge.
Freedom.
Freedom from the past, freedom from the future. Freedom from who I thought I should be, all influenced by society, culture, subcultures, religion, and familial structures.
