Stripping down the van to its bones

BOW-11 / Building a Home (on wheels)

Here's a peek at how we stripped our Ducato van down to its bones to completely rebuild and 'heal' it, turning it into our home away from home.

It takes immense courage to turn your mind inward and confront the metaphorical ‘dirt and rust,’ our disconnect and all the repressed thoughts and emotions. Like dismantling an old camper, it takes courage to address its issues head-on to prevent further problems.

We stripped our motorhome down to its bones to de-rust, repaint, and properly insulate it. While exposing all the damage can initially feel overwhelming or frustrating, the process is ultimately rewarding. Healing and restoring it, and giving it some TLC, balances out the challenges of uncovering all those problems and feels incredibly satisfying.

Empowering ourselves and nurturing something, even if it’s just an object, feels amazing. It is the love we put into something that comes back to us. It’s what makes up for the frustration of the phase where we uncover all the problems and face the hardships of feeling stuck or overwhelmed. It’s great training to keep our frustration from driving us to give up.

A gentle form of resilience that guides us to the other side without aggression or pressure. Our caring attitude acts as protection, helping us face hardships with acceptance, and allowing us to tackle issues one step at a time until they’re resolved.

It’s a nurturing attitude and a great emotional training not to be repelled or attached. Because at some point you have to do it again anyway, because in this ever-changing world nothing stays the way it is. It is the attitude of maintaining through caring and it is “the” basic training to deal with the continuity of life.

There’s something empowering about taking it all apart, knowing you have to trust yourself to put it back together again and not abandon yourself amidst the mess. It requires a blend of ruthlessness and trust—like when you cut a big hole for the roof window or drill through the metal floor for the heater, carefully avoiding support beams. This process builds resilience and confidence in your ability to handle challenges and create something new.

And if you can learn to give this care to your camper, you can certainly give it also to yourself.

It feels wonderful to heal and restore things, bringing them back to their former beauty and pampering them to new glory. At the same time, we grow more emotionally independent, using our daily tasks as a path to healing and self-realization.

If you can learn to give this care to your camper, you can certainly give it also to yourself.

Note:
We extend the concept of self-care to how we house our physical bodies, including the physical space in which we live. This means creating a comfortable home that reflects our personal expression. And also learning the practical aspects of housing, such as maintenance, electricity, water, insulation, and heating. This not only improves our living environment, but also creates a sense of empowerment, survival capability, and self-sufficiency.

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campervan DIY healing repair restoration