The bomb

My plan has been destroyed. I still have options, and I could (if I were mad) throw myself blindly into the void with my original idea and see what happens, but that would leave my life up to chance. That’s not happening.

For a long time, I’d entertained the thought that becoming a ghost was something I’d love, but it was a theoretical notion I saw as practically unattainable. I have no family or ties, which gave me an edge, but my age made it tough to land temporary jobs abroad, and I didn’t have the resources to just drop everything and wander the world aimlessly. That was the real problem.

A few months ago, an extraordinarily rare cosmic alignment appeared—a job with unique conditions that opened a door I never thought I could walk through. This is critical: I only embarked on this adventure because of that opportunity and its specific terms. Those terms seemed solid, especially the contract’s duration, which was supposed to last about a year. That would’ve set me up financially and professionally, a solid first step toward everything that would follow.

But two months into this new chapter, I got the news: those conditions have changed. My position is being eliminated (for reasons unrelated to me), and I’ll soon be out of this job. There’s no set date yet, but the changes are likely to take effect in about a month. This is the situation now: the bomb has completely obliterated the foundation I was building my new life on.

That said, not all is lost. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have another remote job that covers my bills and lets me live simply, as long as I’m in a place with a relatively low cost of living. There are countries where a Westerner can get by on little, and at my age, I don’t need extravagance. Plus, my apartment is up for sale, and once that goes through, those funds will be a safety net for emergencies (including medical ones—I’m not getting any younger), and right now, it’s the only backup I can count on. My original dream of wandering the world is out of reach again, but I’m not entirely without options.

I haven’t redefined my goals yet, and I have a few weeks to think it over and decide on a new strategy to achieve them. But it’s clear I’ll now face new problems tied to a new reality. For instance, if I can’t travel freely, I’ll have to deal with permanent visas, their requirements, and the fact that I won’t get to choose where I live—I’ll be at the mercy of whichever country will take me. My future is no longer in my hands; it’s shaped by the will of others. I have a lot to think about.

Becoming a ghost requires either vast resources or a meticulously crafted plan. But it also demands flexibility, the stoicism to accept reality as it is and adapt to what’s possible in the moment, and above all, the resilience to not be crushed by the inevitable adversities that will arise. That’s the foundation of everything else, and only with it can you even consider trying. I’m not giving up yet.