If New Year’s was the commencement of our transitioning out of the house and into the RV, we’re about one-third of the way in.
There is still a lot to do and I fluctuate between doing well and feeling claustrophobic under a suffocating pile of Tasks. But if I’ve planned it well, I’m still on track. And that amazes me.
At the beginning, I made a list of every room that needed sorting, every task that needed attention, every To Do that needed To Doing. Then I looked at my calender and counted the weeks between now and Then (“Then” being “The Big Day”, the day we move). And I divied up the list, a little bit for each week. Six weeks to sort, 2 weeks to sell, one weekend to say goodbye. March 1st: We leave.
And it’s been surprising how well it’s worked. It doesn’t matter what next week holds, I only look at this week. When I’m done, I’m done for the week and I can goof off. If I think of something that needs to be handled, it gets scribbled in this or another week.
Another secret of my “success” comes from FlyLady and was brought back to my attention by Hillary. Putting on shoes in the morning makes all the difference. (So does showering and getting dressed actually. Who knew?)
But that’s all the detail-oriented transitioning. The mental transitioning has been a different sorta beast.
Somewhere along the line – I’m not exactly sure where – I let go of my attachment to our stuff.
I took a great, deep breath and asked myself if every time I see these things, do they make me smile? Does it hold some special meaning, have a real and practical use, or would it be difficult to replace (or even need replacing)? The answer is almost always “No”.
I looked at the boxes sitting in my garage from my decluttering last summer and I can’t for the life of me remember what is in them. I try to recall what is in a particular room and only the truly important things come to mind.
My home has become filled with the inconsequential.
And when I look forward to the possibilities that await us, nothing inconsequential has a place in our journey.
And there it was; that magical place of unattachment to what doesn’t truly matter.
We are starting over. We’re discarding the things that don’t properly represent us – and you’d be surprised how much that is. I’m not sure how I got to this place of feeling so underrepresented in my own home but it hardly matters. I can recognize it for what it is and I’m not going to find myself here again. Those questions will remain my guiding force.
So, we sort. We pack what will be stored and move what will be taken and leave in place all that we will sell (about 95%). And it’s liberating and peaceful. In fact, the further I get the more at peace I feel.
3 weeks and 3 rooms down and this is all that is being stored so far:
some books, photo albums, ornaments and some keepsakes.
Part of the 1% we’re taking on the road:
games, art stuff, movies (in the CD case), sewing and knitting.
Through all this, we’re trying to enjoy what we will truly miss: time spent at the park with our unschooling community, playdates and sleepovers with friends, dinners and afternoons and time with family. We’re also getting through library lists and our book series and the Netflix movie queue and video game goals. And we’re finishing up projects – a childhood dollhouse for my nieces, Zeb’s Lego creations and a business venture of mine.
Some days I’m motivated and accomplishing. Other days (like today) I stay in my pajamas and putter around. Some days it’s surreal; others it’s as if this is normal, everyday life. Everyday has at least a little piece of joy.
Yesterday, while Zeb went to the movies with his Gramma, Justin and I went on a lunch date. We talked about social expectations, the hidden messages we received as children and what we are imparting to our own. We talked about what success really means – both now and on the road – and how we will be below the poverty line. And we talked about what we hope to find on the road. Both of us have the same answer: Ourselves.
And so we created a focus. To question our motives, to remain in the moment, to allow self-discovery to occur. And whether we’re broken down in the middle of nowhere or having a Grand Adventure in the middle of somewhere, we’re going to Allow the moment to impart its wisdom. If we begin to lose our focus, we’ll shift – shift our actions or shift our perspective – until it meets our intentions again.
We’ve stumbled across the opportunity of a lifetime. It would be heart-breaking to waste it.
I'm Tara Wagner, life coach and creator of the Digging Deep process, where I coach women out of survival mode to recreate their lives and families.
The shoes right! Who would’ve known! lol.
Being that I don’t see your moment to moment I’m so surprised by how fast this is all moving. It seems like a second ago you guys made your announcement!
Must be fun going through all your stuff. I like the excuse to do that around moving times.
Thanks for the update!
Big steps one at a time. It’s all very exciting and interesting and I am glad to have the opportunity to follow along.
I have nominated you for a short award throught Twitter so if your other readers are on Twitter they can go to shortawards.com and vote for you under the blogger catagory.
This is a most profound post. I’m blessed to have read it. Here’s to focus!!
I always find talks on this topic (the ridding oneself of most possessions) to be really interesting and introspective. We’ve had a few friends give up their belongings and just camp nine months out of the year. I was in awe.
Gosh, now I’m thinking about “Into the Wild”. I am just really passionate about the pairing down of one’s life to the necessities.
Sorry for the ramble. Thanks for the update.
“And there it was; that magical place of unattachment to what doesn’t truly matter.”
That is a destination I long to arrive at – I currently am feeling just owned by all the stuff I own and, in an effort to cleanse my life down to the meaningful I’ve begun listing stuff on ebay – and trying to just focus on my faith that if I just begin the process of lightening my load it will eventually lighten my spirit/mind/life.
Thanks for the update Tara!
good for you, Tara. i’m loving reading about this adventure of yours. because really and truly it’s already started.
Pure bliss! You are on your way there. Congratulations. Although you obviously live a very spiritual way of life already, getting rid of all of the meaningless “stuff” that weighs you down will bring you to a much higher spiritual level. Can you feel it? Hang on . . . it’s a mind blowing experience! Welcome to the simple life. You’re gonna love it!
*hugs*
Awesome post Tara! You are SO organized. Funny, I just heard about FlyLady earlier today (through an unschooling group), so I’m checking out the site and trying to determine what would be helpful to me. We recently combined 2 households into one small 2 bedroom apartment and we got rid of TONS and tons of ‘stuff’, which felt great! Thing is, we still have tons and tons left and every square inch of storage is filled including under the beds, etc. Now we’re starting our family and hope to adopt 2 wee ones before the end of this year, so it’s time for another major clear-out. We throw very little away, and prefer to sell, donate or recycle. I’m going to do what you did and start a timeline, although mine will be monthly I think. Let the 9 month countdown begin. Thanks for the inspiration. Getting excited now!
thank you for the inspiration! Being in the moment realizing how little of our stuff really means anything – those are huge tasks and accomplishments……..I love ebing on the outside of this journey to be able to use what speaks to me through your path!
Great adventure. We are at the other end of life (2 men out of HS/2 still in), but still think of this. Looking forward to your tale for inspiration.
Steve in Central CA
Great post! It really brings back memories of when we cleaned and vamoosed. I can remember the surreal feelings and moments of feeling like I was the next person in line for the really, really scary roller coaster ride. My stomach would kind of lurch and I would feel a little faint that we were doing this. I actually still feel a bit this after 3 years LOL. Good luck and thanks for having everyone in the world along for the ride.
“We’re discarding the things that don’t properly represent us – and you’d be surprised how much that is”
I can relate as we are downsizing, trying to sell our house, and traveling too! Well said!
I agree with you and FlyLady – putting on my shoes in the morning seems to just kick my butt into gear. I’ve also been working on pairing down all of my stuff. I’m just doing it at a slower pace.
Beautifully said! And I can totally relate! It just keeps getting better…the real journey is into yourselves and that is so very exciting!
This post really hits home for me, I am ready to re think my life too! My husband and I always wonder if we down size, live far out and are so different how will this impact our kids. We downsized some a year ago, we took pictures of lots of things and it is fun to see them and rememer but I could do with a lot less. We live in 1000 square foot house … 2 adults, 6 kids and we enjoy each other. I think of you whenever I see an RV and wonder … could we do it?
@Bethany and Jen R., I think part of my success has been doing in a shorter period of time. I tend to loose motivation if it’s stretched out too far. I guess I work better under pressure! Good luck to you guys!
Even though my family is not working with an imminent deadline, I am totally relating to your feelings about letting go of attachment to possessions. My husband and I have been feeling so completely overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in our home – it can be truly suffocating! We have started boxing things up room by room and plan on having a yard sale in the spring, then donating the leftovers. It has been so incredibly liberating! And soon we will be able to feel comfortable in our home so we can focus on the truly important things in life!
beautiful post.
i have been trying to pair down, realizing that a lot of the things we are holding on to, serve no purpose. but my husband won’t let go.
i am so excited to continue following you on this journey!
Paring down on the outside = paring down on the inside. And then you get to see all the good stuff and discover so many amazing things! I’m so excited for you all!
Reading this, I feel like I just witnessed a spiritual awakening.
You are demonstrating grace in all that matters.
Hi,
I love reading your blog, you are a gifted writer! Laugh at me if you like, but I have dreamed three times now that I either had dread locks or that someone was helping put them in my hair. Maybe that is why you are still in Vegas…you are suppose to be dreading my hair. Or maybe I spend to much time reading your blog posts.
This is a timely post for me as well. I have been in this downshifting mode lately and am trying to be free of all the things that distract me in life. We got rid of cell phones, stopped letting the little guy watch tv and in the next week we are getting rid of internet. Watch out kerosene lamps here I come!
I hope you guys get your rv out on the road and have no more issues with it. We just took ours half way across the states and it was eye opening to me. As in if I ever see the inside of that thing again it will be to soon, LOL! But then again I have a three year old not a school aged (or shall I saw unschooled aged) child. Good luck with all the transitioning, I look forward to reading about it (from the library computer.)
What fantastic and motivating words Tara! You sound great and mentally ready, it’s been neat to see this transition of your family in the past few months. Thank you for shaing this, being real, and offering wisdom. I wish you the best as you head into this adventure.
lisa
Glad I found your blog today. We’re heading to the road as soon as our house sells. Now that we’ve let go, it’s hard to wait!
so glad i found your blog today. we’re taking our three and hitting the road as soon as our house sells. they’re so excited to see the country first hand. looking forward to your adventures now too!
Wow I didn’t realize your adventure had only just begun! I love your blog btw. <3