Originally Posted by
Wyrd
While I did feel it was a waste of time, I still cherish some of the skills i learned. But now its time to live my life according to my will.
How can I announce this to my parents efficiently?
My mother is my concern. She is the human incarnation of stress and worry. I do feel it will be the one disease that will kill her. My plans will, however, bring more stress and worry. Yet, if I forsake my plans, again, I will, for lack of a more quaint way to put it, feel like ****.
Dilemmas dilemmas.
What can you suggest?
Thanks.
I hear sincere concern for your mothers wellbeing and see that you would feel especially burdened if your growing up was her death knell disease. I hope that is not the case, and I suspect that is an exaggeration like your judgement that working with your dad and going to community college was a waste of time. I won't get near judging the merits of Navy/bike bumming adventure but will pass on something my sister said to me in a time of rough decisions. "what you do now is preperation for where you will be, is what you are doing now getting you where you want to be?" Bumming around will get you good at bumming around amongst other important things.
I did a bike trip out of highschool then enrolled in an electronics tech. school. I was thinking of the Coast Guard as a concession to my dads advice but like you the idea of living in a more structured and constrained environment than home held less attraction than experiencing the world totally on my own terms.
Sounds like you're the one who has to cut the apron strings so do it. For your own peace of mind that your mother isn't dying do to grief come up with some means of communication. I don't think there's anything you can do prior to your going or on your trip that will change how she feels but do something. Send a letter, post card, e-mail whatever. Each one will establish the new reality for both of you.
As far as practical suggestions I'd look at the old cycling bums and regular commuters who use flourescent vests. When I went touring I tried to look as inconspicuous and normal as possible but plaid shirts, t-shirts and jeans just don't stand out to cars going fast. When my daughter headed out on her big bike adventure she was dressed as down home casual as is the norm and I was getting panicky as a middled aged dad because NOW I know that the road is full of old folks with bad vision and some of them half drunk. I used to ride with a mirror on my sun glasses with a heightened sense of awareness about what was approaching from the rear but there's nothing like giving the cars plenty of visual cues as you're riding the straightest line you can next to a ravine or cliff.