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A Conversation I Had With MyselfFor those of you who thought that living in a Toyota RAV4 for three months would be difficult, try living on a f#@&ing boat. I've been on board for about the past three months now. It's been eight or so since I last posted anything about my Journey of Fear. Read On...
Gut FeelingsI was scaling the side of the mountain in leaps and bounds. And I mean that literally – like an excited puppy, I was pouncing from boulder to rock to tree trunk, swinging carelessly about as I went. My Resolution prior to embarking on the climb had, for some odd Read On...
Resolutely LaxI opened my eyes. The air was cool. I peered up at the sunroof, through the roll of window-screen fabric that I'd laid overtop of it (to keep the pine needles and bugs out). It was light outside, though the sun hadn't yet risen up over the surrounding mountains. Crawling Read On...
Peace of DarknessEn route to San Isabel National Forest, I eventually again found myself on some dirt roads. And it felt damn good – it just felt right. Of course, it turned into one of the bumpiest rides of my life. I'm not sure if they were designed that way, or if Read On...
Disturbing ParallelsI decided not to head directly into Denver, even though I-70 would have taken me straight to it. While I was interested in checking out the city, at that point I was far more excited in exploring the surrounding wilderness. And I was thrilled to have some alone time in Read On...
A New DayI stood outside of the RV4 for a moment, soaking in the sunrise. It was 6:00 a.m. I had slept soundly that night, and my allergies were finally calming down from their fury the night before. Parked on the side of the path, I took a quick shower (when you Read On...
Now For My Next Trick: An UpdateIt's been about a month since my last post. And, while I had promised you all that I wouldn't come up with any more excuses for absences like these, this time my excuse is just too damn good! Ladies and gentlemen, I'm on a boat. On April 18th – my Read On...
Kansas FarewellAgain, I found myself roaring down those Kansas, country roads much faster than I should have been. What can I say, I'm a free spirit. I did take care to keep my eyes peeled for cattle guards this time. As I hauled it down one straight stretch of gravel, an Read On...
Kansas, You Win"Everything alright?" I asked as I approached the pickup truck. My guard was up. The man who had pulled up next to where I was parked responded by asking me the same question. "Yeah," I replied. "I'm just taking a few pictures of the moon." "Oh. You probably shouldn't do Read On...
Blood Moon, Strange FarmersAfter hearing the truck's engine revving somewhere behind me, I decided that I should probably turn around and remove myself from whomever's livestock pen this was. I was jostled around like a rag doll as the RV4 rolled over heaps of rocks, dried mud, and cow manure, but eventually I Read On...
The Missing, Kansas LakeI was facing a bit of an internal battle once I realized that the state fishing lake I had punched into my GPS was an hour off of the interstate and out of my way. A big part of me still wanted to get the hell out of Kansas as Read On...
Kansas is My HellTruth be told, I "knew" what to expect from my time in Kansas, long before I'd even reached the place. Because who, in the history of mankind, has ever raved about their incredible experiences, driving across the state of Kansas? I've personally never heard anyone speaking about the wondrous views Read On...
Sowing NegativityI was blessed to have experienced a moment of such unrivaled beauty and peace That Night by the side of Shawnee State Fishing Lake. My first night in Kansas was an incredible one. I had begun to see a glimpse of a new truth, that had previously been hidden from Read On...
I’m Back!It's been a good while since I've last written. And I feel that you once again are owed an explanation for my absence. Don't worry, it's nothing negative this time. In fact, since I've returned to Pittsburgh, life has been consistently throwing me quite the opposite! Things have simply gotten Read On...
The Perfect MomentAfter quietly eating breakfast and reflecting on my time at the Danville Conservation Area, I packed up the RV4, took down the window treatments, and cleaned up my campsite. Missouri had been nice, but it was time to go exploring. I wanted to continue my search – for whatever it Read On...
My Morning AffirmationAfter I finished meditating and got reacquainted with the world, I picked up my cushion and walked back to the RV4. Crawling inside, I started up the engine, turned the heater on, and then pulled open the rear storage compartment (the basement), where my AC inverter was mounted next to Read On...
Silence Isn’t SafeI woke up sometime around 7:00 a.m., after sleeping for about 10 hours. The air was cool in the Danville Conservation Area, and the world was covered in dew. My skylight was closed – I must've woken up and shut it sometime that night, once it started to get cold. Read On...
Tell Me More About “Reality”I haven't posted any blog articles recently – at least, not nearly as many as I'd hoped to after being home for this long – and I feel that you deserve an explanation. A Rough Readjustment Being home has been nothing shy of a struggle. In fact, it's forced me Read On...
Flash Forward…HomeJust a brief skip forward to the present day: I'm back in Pittsburgh. 72 days after leaving my family's home, I walked through the front door at 5:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. I'm certain that my return on this holiday was by no mere coincidence, but that will be for Read On...
Word Magic – ThanksgivingSpoken words are nothing more than a collection of sound vibrations, interpreted by the brain into meaningful bits of information. And yet, when used correctly, they can hold certain powers over the human mind that border along the magical. Don't Believe Me? The next time you're in public, look for Read On...
Loneliness Leads to WeaknessI awoke to the sound of a truck backing a trailer up into the next campsite. Time to go. Even after the great experiences I'd had back in Hoosier National Forest, I wanted to try to spend some time alone, to see what I might learn from myself. I spoke Read On...
Balance AblazeI'll admit, I was in a bit of a daze for the next 12 hours, as I drove further and further from Hoosier National Forest. I had taken in an overwhelming amount of information over the last three days, and was trying to condense it all down into one key Read On...
My Remaining Stay at HoosierWhile I've already described to you the bulk of what I learned from my new friends the travelers, I went on to have a number of great experiences in the time that I was in Hoosier National Forest. This will serve as my disjointed diary of the most memorable events. Read On...
Seeing Beyond the SpoonWhile I was packing up to leave on my last morning in Hoosier National Forest, Mrs. Davidson approached me. She handed me a small collection of bright, multi-colored pieces of paper. It was a beautifully handwritten letter. In it, she provided words of encouragement for my journey that have meant Read On...
Anatomy of a Traveler"The only difference between a traveler and a homeless man is a destination." This is but one of many quotes that I took away from my stay at that Hoosier campsite, though most of them I can't repeat. The family that arrived in the van (we'll call them the Davidsons, Read On...
Is it CoincidenceNow that you know about the downward Cycle of Fear that I had to crawl out of whenever I moved back to Pittsburgh, as well as the Way I Believe Our Minds Work, I can explain to you the next stage of my trip. Hoosier Serendipity After spending a few Read On...
The Consequence of Thought – Part Deux…continued I've experienced a profound increase in the amount of happiness in my life, due to my active decision to change the way that I think. But that's not the reason that I initially chose to do so – that was just a side-effect. No, my reason for changing my Read On...
The Consequence of ThoughtI feel the necessity to be honest about something – to open up about a secondary goal that I've had for this trip, and one that I've been keeping a secret. I realize now that, if I hope to truly relate to you everything that I've discovered along my Journey Read On...
From the DarknessI fell into a dark period during my first year out of college – one that I can only characterize by the word terror. Dazed and Confuzed I think that many recent grads are a bit traumatized by the sudden jolt that being handed a diploma can induce. But for Read On...
Happy Birthday!There's a kid out there who's hoping to do something that's infinitely more impressive than simply driving across the U.S. What he's attempting to do is to get on a plane, travel to some distant continent (I don't think he even cares which one) and simply go, learning about the Read On...
MetamorphosisFlash Forward to the Present Day I'm changing in some big ways. While the photos above – the first taken back in March 2nd, 2014, and the second just a few days ago – relate the physical changes that I've been going through over the last two years, they can Read On...
Butts, Butts, ButtsOh whoops, typo.*Buts, Buts, Buts There we go. Well you're here already, might as well keep reading! (Welcome to Marketing 101 kids.) As time's gone on along my Journey, I've become aware of an interesting phenomenon within my own mind – a group of friends, if you will. I call Read On...
Seven Fears I FaceYou might be trying to figure out what exactly these fears are that I keep mentioning. Well, you're in good company. Because so am I. A large portion of this trip is dedicated to pinpointing what fears I have hidden beneath the surface. And from what I've found, you usually Read On...
Playing in the Hoosier MudIt wasn't long into my Journey of Fear before I began to get a taste for adventure. It also wasn't long before I began to learn some of the deep lessons that I had set out on this trip to learn. The day began calm enough. I stopped at the Read On...
The Wheels Start TurningI wished I could have stayed in Columbus, more than anything else in fact. But I knew that I was being called to the road, to begin what I had initially set out to accomplish. I had more to learn. I couldn't stop smiling for the first few hundred miles Read On...
Safe Refuge in OhioI had only intended to spend a few hours with That Girl in Columbus – instead, I spent a few days. We spoke about things on a level of intimacy that was unprecedented for me. I was digging deep to express my innermost hopes, desires and fears (this was, after Read On...
Fire ProtectionFor the past four years, I've dated an amazing girl, though I use the term "dated" loosely. We met in college, and ever since then we've had some strange force pulling us towards one another. For those four years, she's given me her all, throwing her own emotional safety to Read On...
Fear: DefinedI feel it necessary to pause for a moment to explain my definitions for the words fear and love – partly because you'll be seeing them frequently in this blog and should understand what I actually mean by them, and partly because my original post for today is far more Read On...
Why Am I Doing This Again?Photomatt28 / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND Mindsets can change quickly. After a month or so of earning money and working on the RV4, I began to come up with little excuses as to why I couldn't leave Pittsburgh just yet. I didn't have enough gas money to make it to Read On...
The Transformation [Technical Details]Televisions, microwaves, and internet. I think that we can all agree that getting away from luxuries such as these every now and then would do us nothing but good. There was one luxury, however, that I was not prepared to leave behind when I began really thinking about this trip Read On...
A Healthy Alternative to SuicideI can pinpoint the specific moment in which I decided to embark on this trip. I was walking Chookie (the family dog) through the graveyard that lies next door to my parents' home in Pittsburgh. As I looked at the gravestones that night, I can remember experiencing a very powerful, Read On...
Destination UnknownWhen I began this journey, I deliberately chose not to plan out my route. After all, that's not what this trip is about. I didn't want to know which roads to take, where I could avoid traffic, how to skimp on gas, or any of the many other common road Read On...
Life in the RV4In the weeks before embarking on my Journey of Fear, it became apparent to me that everybody has a different definition for the term necessities of life. What will you eat? Where will you sleep? How will you earn money? Who will you talk to when you're lonely? What if Read On...
Journey of FearMy Name is Benjamin D'Amico. I’m a 24-year-old writer from Pittsburgh, PA, though I’m currently writing from…well, I really could be anywhere by now. How did I get to wherever I am? I'm on a Journey of Fear. Though the name might sound daunting, I assure you that this journey Read On...
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