I’ve been warned by a few close friends about how this trip could adversely impact my mental health. It’s not always going to be wild adventures and sightseeing. Not every neighborhood will feel safe. Not every drive will be clear skies and open roads. But most importantly, there will be long periods of time when I’m alone.

Granted, I’m used to being alone. In fact, I’ve become somewhat of a pro at this, if that is such a thing. Over the last year, I’ve done my part to slow the spread of COVID by never leaving my apartment. I’ve gone weeks without even going downstairs to check the mailbox. I got my groceries delivered to my door using Amazon Fresh. The trash room was right next door. At some point I was seriously concerned my car battery had died from lack of use. So, for this new nomad life, loneliness itself is not a concern of mine. What I’m more concerned with is that as I go from AirBnB to AirBnB, I’ll develop the feeling that the place I stay in won’t feel like my home.

Thankfully, I thought about this before leaving San Francisco. My plan to combat this is to replicate the same home setup in each new place. I brought my Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker and my Zojirushi fuzzy logic rice cooker so I can make the exact same meals I’m used to making. I plan to unpack in each new place so I’m not living out of a suitcase. And at the center of this whole plan is my bowl of Hershey’s Kisses.

The (very) few people who I’ve invited into my home over the last year know that a bowl of Hershey’s Kisses was always on my dining room table. The (very, very) few regulars will know that I replenished this bowl to the top every day.

Neither picture was taken with the intention of showing off the bowl. They are heavily cropped.

I didn’t bring that bowl. The specific bowl isn’t important. But I brought a full bag of chocolates, put them in a bowl, and placed the bowl at the center of the table.

If this bowl is ever not full, please reach out and ask what’s wrong.

It’s only day 1, but I think it’s working.