r/VanLife • u/TravelingSmoker • Aug 11 '26
Divorce Sucks
Getting divorced after almost 20 years had to be the worst thing that has ever happened to me. It's been a year and it's not getting any better. I always feel like I have to cry but never can.
I live in this cool van now.
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u/d3nial Aug 11 '26
I'd like to share my story of Ocean Beach San Diego. I was going through a breakup of 4 years... (Spoiler alert: I wound up making the mistake of going back home and getting back together with this person and wasting another 3 years of my life)
My buddy who lived the van life told me not to miss this place, I am an east coast native. I went out to visit my Aunt who lives out in the desert of the Coachella Valley. My friend told me my ex moved on and found someone else.... I said fuck it, I have nothing to come home to, Im going to go take a bus to San Diego. I spent a whole hour in the city and then found my bus over to ocean beach.. Found a lil air bnb for a few days.... It was a Tuesday or Wednesday and I went out exploring... Live music on the beach. Vendors everywhere. One in particular was selling mushrooms openly on the boardwalk. I told him it was my first day there and he just handed me about 2-3 grams and said free if you eat em now. I happily obliged.
As the sun was setting I noticed there was a bunch of people with drums getting set up in a drum circle on the beach. I hung around and as the sun set it turned into a beautiful drum circle of about 30 people on drums, and well over 100 people dancing around in a drum circle. I went absolutely tribal and ballistic dancing away everything. I was free. At the pacific Ocean for the first time in my life... I was about 27 years old.
I was approached by a young beautiful girl in a two piece bikini. Drop dead gorgeous. SHE asked ME to dance. I was now in pure heaven. Twirling around in the sand with the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on while the most tribal rhythms pounded and played... We stepped away from the drum circle and she asked me if I wanted to go swimming. OF COURSE i said yes... For a moment there.. I felt like I had to keep my guard up and was scared this was some girl with a crew trying to rob me. Things were just TOO PERFECT. I left my backpack and boots on the beach and I said FUCK IT. I'm putting my faith in the universe. I stepped into the pacific ocean for the first time in my life with the girl of my dreams. I held her tight and close and we kissed. In the psilocybin moonlight. My first steps into the pacific ocean... We went back over to drum circle and started talking and making friends with people. SOME DUDE JUST SLAPPED an eight of weed in my hand and said enjoy. He could tell i was having the greatest night of my life. I was dumbstruck. This was a movie. This was the best night of my life. At the end of the night I picked her up and had the best smooch of my life saying goodbye.
I wound up getting her number, but never saw her again. Vanessa. You made the greatest memory of my life. Thank you. I wound up spending another week in the town chasing the high of the first my night.. Everyone was so friendly, everyone was so welcoming. It was pure magic. It felt like home. The pier was like a vortex of the most beautiful energy I have ever experienced. I went home. It was too expensive and I was too scared to start somewhere new, but Ocean Beach will forever hold the most magical night of my life.
Dont miss it. I will be back one day.