*Trigger warning.* Suicide, time in a mental health hospital, and illegal drug use are discussed in this episode.
First of all, if you haven’t seen the photo of him on the Facebook page, please do. Tai has a great smile, and he talks about how smiling keeps him looking youthful. He thanks Samantha from “Sex and the City” for that. Tai Collins lives in a van, that is his normal, and he doesn’t feel weird about it. and we talk about why and how he got there in this episode, “The Call of the Void.”
Tai listened to the call once and we learn what happened. I suggested to him once that he should write a book called “Tales From the Van”, and we get to hear about a few of those tales. Tai, admittedly, is a work in progress. We all are. He reveals that when he attempted suicide, he viewed himself as a “waste of carbon,” and thankfully, he is still with us. He speaks about his personal reality and how it affects others and vice versa, how he learned that he cannot change other people, and accountability versus the herd mentality. He says to be the best you can be, and prepare as much as you can, for the bridges you will cross on your path. He grew up in a camping family, so he knows how to live off the grid, and he has backpacked or “mailed himself” around the world. He shares his perspective of “the status quo” of living, his analysis of “nature versus nurture”, and the people he has met on his journeys. I learned, and you will learn, about “woodsies,” and what it means for someone to be “God’s punching bag.”
Yes, Tai, every day is a gift. Thank you for letting us in to your world, and sharing your “normal,” that was your gift to us. Your other gift to us is your incredible singing that melts our hearts, and can be heard before and after our conversation.
Please be sure to “grow your happiness flower,” and I hope you enjoy this talk with Tai Collins as much as I did.
Thank you for listening.
(Song: “An Die Musik”. Tai Collins, vocals. Jesse Pieper, pianist)
+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.
