Awakening

I've been trying these last several months to figure out how I can still make my Plan work, even though the Economy is in the tank. I finally came to a very important realization today.

First, for those of you who don't know The Plan:

I've been working towards living a life of simplicity & mobility. I aspire to live permanently in a state of flux (is that a contradiction?). I've been selling off my possessions little by little, I've been searching for someone to take over my business, & I've been trying to find a way to sell my house or rent it out while I'm traveling around the world, working temporary jobs here & there, moving on to something else when whatever gig I have ends. Possibilities for work include teaching English abroad, working on farms for room & board, working in our national parks, working on a cruise ship, etc. Deadline for living life on the fly: June 2009.

I've wanted to do this for years now, & I finally have my chance. What better time than now? I love to travel, I love to see new things, I thrive on change. I'm single, kid-free, pet-free, & it's near to impossible to get a "real" job right now. Still, I wanted to remove myself from conventional life responsibly. I didn't want to do anything that would hurt my credit, or that would somehow hurt my relationships with friends & family. But today, I started considering that maybe it's just not possible to be that responsible. Today I realized that I will have to take some very drastic measures - & soon.

Four financial thorns in my side:
1. The Business
2. The House
3. Credit Cards
4. Student Loans

The lease at the studio ends in April. I have decided to close down the business then. I'm going to call the bank to talk with them about the mortgage, but I will most likely have to let the house go into foreclosure. & I'm going to talk with a lawyer about bankruptcy (anyone know a good lawyer?).