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Miles March-King's avatar

Thank you Blake!! Now I’ve read this string twice, just to make sure it’s really in my head 😀.

I’ve been struggling with my life direction recently, and this helps out things in perspective. I’ve been unschooled my whole life, and now I’m an adult. I got a job in February and I have a couple other local obligations, but my dream is to explore the world nomadically. Being tied to my hometown is weighing on me. It makes me feel like maybe I’ll never leave, that I’ll never amount to anything, that I’ll never find the full happiness I’ve experienced in bite-sized increments while hiking, traveling and adventuring.

I got a job for money and getting a check is cool, but I won’t deny I fantasize about running into the mountains with only a backpack full of tools and never coming back. Someday I hope to do that…without having to run AWAY from things that upset me, instead to run TOWARDS a wide open world full of beauty and adventure.

As an unschooler, it’s important for me to remember that I necessarily live an unconventional life, and all the people around me who go to college are on different paths than I am. I am not obligated to follow them. My desire to one day hike the CDT is as valid as their desires for higher education.

Thanks for the inspiration and the reminder that being different is good!

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Antonio's avatar

I appreciate that you shine a light on the diversity of what adult unschoolers' values and visions often are. I think it is worth noting that some are diametrically opposed, and not all are truly anti-oppressive or even in support of youth autonomy. Certainly not a monolith.

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