Comes High Water or Hell-I’m Doing it Anyway

 

Comes High Water or Hell—I’m Doing It Anyway

Since I started writing about my nomadic life, I’ve found myself talking to more people than ever. At first, I was hesitant to share my story—this so-called reckless decision to pack up and leave behind the life most people cling to.

Truth is, I’ve always had a bit of a wild streak. It doesn’t take much for me to roll up the map and chase the unknown. Usually, I’d drag the whole family along for the ride. But not this time.

This time, it’s just me—and the oldest member of the clan. The one most overlooked. The one who should have a statue in her honour: my mother.

What’s surprised me is how many people envy my decision. They tell me they wish they could do the same, but they’re held back—by possessions, by comfort, by the need to keep everything neat and safe inside their box of stability.

Meanwhile, I’m actually doing it, and my insides are sometimes screaming: “Girl, what the hell are you doing? Have you even thought this through?” The “what ifs” are loud. The consequences are real. But still—I go.

And here’s what I’ve come to realise: everyone’s got something. Everyone’s fighting a quiet battle.

People look happy from the outside—especially on social media—but inside, it’s a different story. Marriages are ending. People are drifting. Some are taking second jobs or sending their partners off to the mines or American farms just to keep up with the Joneses. Others have stopped really living, just surviving and barely breathing.

So many are stuck—in jobs they hate, in towns that don’t fit, in relationships that lost their spark years ago.

And I have to ask… is what I’m doing really so risky? Or is it just that I dared to live differently?

What is life really about?

I wish my brother—my soulmate—was still here. He always had something wise or wild to say. He was my biggest fan, my loudest cheerleader. I miss that voice in my corner.

But let me say this clearly: I’m not doing this for approval.

Maybe I’ll make it. Maybe I won’t.

But comes high water or hell—I’m doing it anyway.

And I intend to enjoy every damn inch of this road.

Did something here speak to you?

Leave a comment if you feel moved, or simply sit with me in quiet.

If you’d like to walk this road with me, follow Nomadic Grandmother for new stories.

— x Elsabe