Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Gelman.

5/5 rating. 304 pages.

Book #22 of 2021. Read March 10, 2021.

I absolutely loved this book! It just appeals to all of my nomadic impulses and makes me want to get back on the road.

Rita tells about her travels that started late in her life. After having what seems like a successful marriage for many years including two kids, her husband asks for a divorce. Unsure of what to do, Rita takes a trip. On this trip, she falls in love with the idea of a nomadic lifestyle. As a writer, she is able to take the wonderful people, events and serendipitous happenings in her new life and bring them into her books (mostly children’s books).

What most appeals to me about this book is Rita’s way of being in the world, as it is almost the same as mine. She’s looking to spread joy and happiness to those around, searching for connection wherever she goes to meet and understand new people, and also trying to live in the moment, understanding that it’s the only time that we have control over.

As she says: “I move through the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities.” What more could you ask for in life? The people, experiences, and bonds we make are the only real things we need in life.

I would recommend this book for any and everyone, but especially if you are a wandering heart, this is the book for you!

Quotes:

“There has to be more than one way to do life. There is.”

“Lost meant adventure, and I loved it. It’s been years since I’ve been lost, and I can’t remember the last time I stepped into the unknown.”

“My Spanish is far from perfect, it isn’t even good; but I feel so pleased that I can communicate.”

“Friendship happens quickly on the road.”

“I love the bonding that takes place in the kitchen, even when the kitchen is in the yard.”

“Connection requires participation.”

“I don’t want an apartment, and I have even less interest in a job. What I want is to do more of what I was doing in Mexico: discover the world and interact with the people in it.”

“So many of them are trapped in lives they think they must live, in roles they have come to resent, with little joy and no laughter. They’ve ‘settled.’ They’ve compromised. They’ve learned to adjust.”

“With no possessions, no home, and no precedent, I am free to design a life that fits me.”

“I resolve to continue exploring the world, ignoring the they who define how people should live.”

“I’m not interested in hearing lectures from people who seem to know better than I how I should live my life.”

“But I’m not running away. I’m running toward . . . toward adventure, toward discovery, toward diversity.”

“And what I want to do is move through other worlds, learn what it is that makes us all human, and interact with people who are different from me.”

“We make people happy. What a glorious experience.”

“What a miracle to be able to laugh.”

“But no matter how often I ask myself if I’m running away from something, I always get the same answer. No, I’m not running away. On the contrary. I’ve discovered a new way to live.”

“I’m embracing life, not running away from it.” 

“Waiting and thinking is not a good strategy for making decisions; all sorts of practical matters get added into the process. Spontaneity is better.”

“Rich or poor, you must seek happiness in your own world. We can all reach the same happiness, but you must go in your world and I must go in mine. That is life.”

“I have come to Bali to seek spirituality and to learn about the Balinese world; but most important, wherever I am, I want to feel a part of the culture, to be accepted on the inside.”

“I feel an urge to go home with these people and share their lives, their songs, their families, their cookfires, until we are not strangers staring at each other across ten feet of space, learning simultaneously that being human and open is all it takes to connect.”

“Until I entered my nomadic life, I thought of ‘friendship’ as a relationship that needs years to develop.”

“Good people. Great birthday. Makes up for all the birthdays I’ve spent alone and feeling lonely.”

“We go through life making deposits whenever we do favors for people, and that means that whenever we need a favor, we’re entitled to a withdrawal. It’s just as important to take out as it is to put in, because each time we accept a favor, we are allowing someone to make a deposit. I like introducing this idea to people who have trouble ‘taking.’”

“My spirit gets nourished in faraway places.”

“Wherever I am and whatever the length of our relationship, connection is what I seek. Whether we share a language or simply a shape, I reach out to each individual with love and trust, with a smile, and 100 percent of my attention.”

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