A Journey of Fear

Hi, my name's Ben D'Amico, and I'm on a journey. This journey began for me about a year and a half ago, when work dried up for me in Columbus, OH, and I moved home to Pittsburgh, PA. 

As anyone who's moved back with family would know, you learn a lot about yourself. But in this time, my eyes have been opened to many unexpected realizations, and I eventually came to a very difficult conclusion about myself – that I am tremendously fearful. 


For as long as I can remember, I've been afraid of not earning enough money to buy the things that I need, and afraid of never attaining the goals that I hope for in life. 

I've been afraid of fully committing myself to the girl that I love, and I've been terrified of being alone.

I've been afraid of what others think about me, and afraid of not accomplishing something great during my time on earth. 

And like many people, I've been afraid of admitting how fearful I truly am.

But what's scared me the most has been realizing how much all of these fears have shaped my life's decisions thus far. Where could I go and what could I do if I were to live day-to-day in a state of love, rather than fear? 

So I decided to take a month-long road trip in an attempt to break free from the many fears that I'm discovering in myself. I've even transformed my Toyota RAV4 into a mini RV, complete with a handcrafted sink/mini-shower (emphasis on mini).


What I've been doing is driving across country all alone, camping in various camp sites, national forests, and rest stops, all the while trying to learn everything that I could by putting myself into situations that stretch my fears to the limit.



And while I do so, I've decided to write a book, in which the main character learns everything that I have been learning.

But I'm not finished with the book, and I don't feel that I've yet learned everything that I'm supposed to. I'm currently in Wyoming, and what money that I was able to save has just about dried up (like I knew it would).

I've been driving for about three weeks now, and I'm faced with a serious decision – give in and run home, or have faith that the money will come.

I've chosen the latter, and recently had the urge to create this GoFundMe campaign. 

In order to live for an additional month on the road, I need help. I have a $230 car payment, a $75 car insurance bill (which will probably go up when they see this), a $50 IRS payment, and I could certainly use help with gas money.

With $650 total, I would have more than enough funds to pay my bills, continue on my journey, and eventually buy gas to get home.

Any extra would be put towards food and other necessities. And if I receive more than I need, I'll find a way to give back to the many people I've met on the road who could use the help. You meet a lot of them on this type of trip. From entire families who are living on the road just like I am, to the homeless who are trying to get back on their feet, to travellers who've decided to return to the basics – it's shocking how people with so little can be so giving. I'd love to help give back.

So now, with faith in my heart, I humbly ask for your help to see this journey through, so that I might learn what I'm supposed to from this opportunity. And regardless of whether you can give or not, I thank you for listening to my story. Hopefully, I'll inspire someone else to someday take similar action in their own life, and then I'll be able to pass this blessing forward.

Thank you so much for your time, God Bless.


-Ben