Story 26 | Free Spirit

Jessy (@a.girl.and.her.commander)

After living in her apartment for eleven years, Muller found herself overwhelmed and nauseated by the amount of stuff she owned. Feeling the weight of the material objects weighing on her like a ton of bricks, she immediately wanted it all gone. Her ease of life in the comfort zone had gone too far. She was ready to shake it up.  

Excited to craft the life of her dreams, she began exploring the things in life that made her the happiest. Her version of this? Living and traveling in less than 200 square feet of mobile space, experiencing all of the beautiful places the United States has to offer. 

At first she had some difficulty finding her dream home on wheels. She wanted a motorhome but admits that she didn’t think she’d find one she would actually like. Just before taking a break from her search, she found herself on craigslist looking at a 1978 Dodge Commander. Muller was surprised that she actually liked the way it looked and with only 54,000 original miles on it she knew it was the one she had been waiting for. 

When asked about her experience reforming her life, Muller explains that being stubborn and willful helped her to accomplish her dreams. With zero previous experience in doing any projects like this, it was an amazing opportunity to grow as a person. She admits that at times refurbishing the Commander was physically, emotionally and mentally draining, but it was all worth it. Her #1 piece of advice? Trust yourself, let go and have faith.  

Her journey begins this fall, and with a newly installed composting toilet and solar power, she’s ready to hit the road. “I’ll go south and then west…[but] I just want to fly by the seat of my pants.” Follow her adventures @a.girl.and.her.commander