Simple doesn’t mean easy…

I’ve been craving a simpler life for years and I’ve since learned it is hard work. Moving from a big home to an RV was one step towards simplicity and was a big deal for us when it happened. Of course we had to downsize significantly, but that wasn’t the biggest adjustment. It was moreso the psychological change in space in terms of having nowhere to hide.  In bigger homes, everyone can hide from one another…from their problems.

If you feel annoyed, you can just go in another room to read or watch TV. We can do that in the RV too, but you’re still so close to one another.  I find we have to work through things and confront issues more often due to smaller spaces. Sure that’s uncomfortable at times, but it actually brings you closer together.  We typically go outside when we need space.

Many have reached out saying that having everyone home under one roof during the Coronavirus has been so tough.  Husbands who typically travel every week for work are suddenly home with the whole family all day everyday. Not that they don’t want to be, but it’s a big adjustment to do so.  When we are all so busy striving for what’s next or desperately holding on to all our ‘stuff’ it rarely leaves time for togetherness. When we get that time, we often don’t know what to do with it.

Isn’t it all so perplexing though? We all work so hard striving in these so called careers to provide for our families and to have a ‘better life,’ yet being with our families for an extended period of time is very uncomfortable for most.  It seems to me we really have lost our way. Having more doesn’t always mean better.  Most of the time when you have more it doesn’t mean you have more money, it just means you are over leveraged and have more bills.  So many are living lives they can’t afford and if anything shifts in their financial picture, it all comes crashing down. That’s so much pressure! No wonder everyone stays so busy.

We had worked through all of the confined space issues so the stay at home order didn’t seem to be such a challenge for us in terms of being together.  We wanted to be together all the time. All of these thoughts about family time, stuff, and busyness are what pushed us towards our big decisions for our life. However, making choices that don’t fit the mold is very hard.  The judgmental statements spewed at you are truly unbelievable. I wish I could say that at 40 I didn’t care what people thought, but that would be a lie. It’s fuel though. If it’s uncomfortable for me, I know I’m heading in the right direction.

I think about the salmon swimming upstream. That’s what life has so often felt like to me. Making the ‘right’ choice for my life has always seemed to be the more difficult and uncommon one.  Yet, I keep on swimming. I have definitely taken the road less traveled and while sometimes it’s very scary, it’s so much more rewarding.

Breaking the mold starts with each bold decision.  For us, we wanted to not have the house with all the stuff and chores, we didn’t want a mortgage or car payment, and we wanted to travel and have our son see the world. It was really fun and we are so glad we did it. You have to let the fear motivate you instead of paralyzing you.

We’ve camped in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.  We absolutely loved Colorado and likely would have moved there if family were closer.  The time we spent in Estes Park was so special. The Rocky Mountain National Park is breathtaking and will always be etched in our hearts. Mateo started walking in Fort Collins, CO so that’s unforgettable.  The little guys has been to see so many National and State parks and that make us smile.

We didn’t know then that this journey would lead us to wanting to start a homestead on this 21 acre piece of God’s country.  I found that as much as I had loved traveling throughout my life, traveling for work and fun with a small child was way more challenging than it sounds or appears. I wanted roots.  We wanted to leave a legacy for our son.

We are prepping the property so we can set up the 5th wheel on it. Eventually we will build…something. Ironically, that’s all everyone ever asks. When are you building? What will you build? Our society has been so programmed to want bigger and better, even if you have to go into debt to have it. You don’t need a big house to have a happy family. We don’t want a mortgage again. We don’t want debt. A life without debt is true freedom. We don’t want to hide from one another. We want to be together. Whatever we build will be tiny and simple, but again that’s not always easy.