My Life - My Travels

I plan to write a multi-part post about living as a minimalist. This will hopefully document my journey up to my current point and map out the rest of my path to living a minimalist lifestyle.

What exactly is a minimalist lifestyle you make ask. This answer will differ from one person to another but to me it is simple. And the answer can be summed up into one word. Simple.

I used to a bit of a pack rat. I learned that skill from my mother. I read that one of the reason people are pack rats is due to fear. We fear that we may need that item in the future. I might need that spare keyboard even though mine works great and has zero problems. We also grow an item we own and don’t want to get rid of said item because it has been with you for so long. We has a people have come to fear change.

I’m a gadget whore. I love electronic toys. I had enough computers running in my house to start my own ISP. I always had the latest game system. Not to mention a 1400 sq ft house full of crap. For reasons discussed in a later post, I started selling everything. If I couldn’t sell it, I gave it to Goodwill. If Goodwill didn’t want it, it went to the dump or to craigslist.

I can’t tell you how good it felt to drop off a trunk load to Goodwill or take 5 boxes to the post office to ship off to people from Ebay. People were actually paying me to take my junk. My house became empty and I grew a little happier.

I know its horrible to quote movies but here goes.

The things you own end up owning you

That was said by Tyler Durdan from Fight Club and that statement has become ever so clear to me.

I’m paying down credit card debt and still trying to get rid of more things. My life is becoming simple again.

I often think back to when I was a child. Riding my bike around my neighborhood and on the trails in the woods behind my house. Life was simple. All I wanted to do after school was go home and get my bike and go outside. I was never happier.

When I grew up it was a bit different. I got home from work and all I could think about was which bill was due and if my budget was going to work out this month. The things I owned ended up controlling my life. Telling me I had to work harder and more hours. I couldn’t leave town because I had to work harder to pay for them.

I call bullshit. I want my bike back. I want to go out into the woods and explore and find cool things. Like sticks that look like guns!

I will hopefully go from my former self. A pack rat who ran the rat race to urban minimalist. Someone who can live out of a backpack and a tent for an indefinite period of time. Weather permitting of course.

Minimalist Lifestyle - Part 1