This week, I joined the HOWA Mentoring Camp—a gathering for new nomads learning to live simply, safely, and together in the desert. I thought I’d learn about van systems and solar setups, but what I really learned was how preparedness can bring peace.

During one of our evening circles, a mentor mentioned something I’d never thought much about: the In Case of Emergency (ICE) card. It’s a small note you tape somewhere visible in your van that lists your emergency contact, medications, and diagnoses.

For someone like me, living with chronic health conditions, that hit home. I realized that if anything ever happened on the road and I couldn’t speak for myself, that card could make all the difference.

But even more than that, it shifted how I think about freedom.

Preparedness, I realized, isn’t about fear—it’s about kindness.

It’s giving your future self a sense of safety, so your present self can truly enjoy the moment.
I came to camp hoping to learn how to be more self-reliant.

I left understanding that self-reliance also means allowing others to help you—by sharing knowledge, offering advice, or simply sitting beside you around a fire.

Community doesn’t always look like friendship bracelets or daily check-ins. Sometimes it looks like strangers in the desert teaching you how to stay safe, so you can keep chasing sunsets another day.

That night, as I taped my new ICE card inside the van, Sharpie already asleep on the rug, I felt calmer than I had in weeks. The stars were out, the desert was quiet, and for the first time in a while, I wasn’t thinking about what could go wrong.

Because being prepared, I’ve learned, is just another way of saying: I plan to keep going.

— Michelle 🌿

Author of The Soul Thief’s Bargain

Follow my travels and reflections at Miles to Myself on YouTube