Saylorville Lake - Rainy 65 degrees
Another factor is the vastly different way we experience life. With it’s minimalistic theme we have learned to be quite content with very little in the way of material possessions. When I am inside my motor home cooking dinner or watching TV everything seems very much the same as before. But sometimes, when I am sitting outside I look at the RV and marvel at the notion that all I own and all I want to own is within that small space. Shedding the stuff opens your heart and mind to notice other things around you. Without the energy required to maintain all the material things we once had, we have so much more time and energy to enjoy what we do have. I spend very little time in stores these days. I shop online more than ever, since I can’t always find the store I want in the area I’m at. The store lives in my computer.
I realize I pay attention to different things. Especially advertising. I don’t pay any attention to most print ads because I do not consume near the goods that I used to. It seems I was always buying a new piece of furniture or some sort of decoration when we owned our house. I couldn’t tell you if Homemakers Furniture is having a sale this week and I don’t care. Oddly enough though, I still have my credit card with them…just in case. When we travel, instead of seeking out shops I seek out museums and local historical attractions. As a result, I take many more memories in the form if experience and photographs instead of shot glasses and coffee cups. I must remind myself that the stuff I had wasn’t that hard to let go of. When we travel now my souvenirs are the people I meet who find a place in my heart. Can’t buy that for $7.95 in a shop, it comes free for taking the time to get to know them and I won’t have to part with it for pennies on the dollar someday if the motor home gets cluttered.
I have not decided if I donate or buy more from thrift and consignment stores. I think it’s a wash. My things rotate. I love a good deal. "One item in / one item out" is a strict rule in the full-time lifestyle unless you like replacing axles and tires from being overloaded.
I have found I have less stuff but feel much richer for the people and the experiences. With less monotony there is always something to look forward to. Life changes, planned or unplanned, always result in growth. But, this has been like taking a super charged growth pill this past 20 months. Hopefully, someday we’ll be sitting in front of our RV and reminiscing about 15 or 20 years of this.
Until tomorrow…
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