Quick recap of where I’m at in life:
3 years ago I bought a minivan to live in while I performed across the country
Last week I found out the engine was ruined and I needed to get a new vehicle
I took this as a little push from God to enter a new “season of ministry” so I opened a Patreon to raise monthly financial support for my ministry
So far people have been more than generous and it’s all blown me away
I spent all day yesterday at a car dealership. I got a new vehicle and got rid of the van.
My time as “Taylor Johnson, comedian who lives in his van” is over. It feels strange to say goodbye. I spent so much of the last three years in that van.
For most people “living in a van” sounds so strange and sad and horrible but it wasn’t bad at all. I got used to it real fast and it became my new normal.
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
Honestly the worst part of living in my van was telling people I lived in my van. I got the same questions over and over. “Why?” “Where do you shower?” “Where do you sleep?” “You live in a van….DOWN BY THE RIVER?!” I got these questions so often I started to make videos to answer them for everyone.
Here’s a playlist of all those videos
SELF DEFENSE
People also asked me if I had a gun in my van but no one ever really bothered me when I was parked at night. Once a cop wanted to see if I was dead or doing something horrible but when he found out I was just sleeping, he left me alone. Another time a security guard told me I couldn’t park where I was and told me to go to the bank across the street to sleep.
Besides that, I was totally left alone. But if I did need to fight for myself, I guess I did have one line of defense: a cup.
NEW EXPERIENCES
Living in my van came with all these new experiences I would have never had otherwise. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and into some weird places.
I have a membership to Planet Fitness and that’s where I’d shower every morning while living in my van. My most popular video on youtube came from a new experience I thought I’d try while stopping at a Planet Fitness on the road.
I decided to try a tanning bed. It was weird.
My new car is a Nissan Rogue. It’s not big enough to sleep in. The more I think about it, the more I know I’m going to miss the van life. It was simple. It was fun. I could go anywhere without worrying about where I could take a nap.
I know God has a plan. I know nothing lasts forever. I know that change will always come. Goodbye, van. I pooped my pants at least 3 times while living in you. No one can ever take those memories away.
Amen.