Moving into an RV with two kids. #tinyhouselivin #rvfamily
We have settled in and had one sleep and will have one more at our 4th stop on our road trip in our new home on wheels back to Florida. We have had some ups and downs over the last week. I haven't had a private space to write but I want to commit to writing in the morning versus messing with my phone. It's my personal belief that I'm most creative, connected and intuitive at the beginning of the day and usually my creative energies wane as the day unfolds. It is so easy to get caught up in the apps on my phone and I often let it hijack me. Its so ingrained at this point. My husband does yoga first thing in the morning and our nanny always journals. I, am looking at my phone. No bueno. So here I am, trying to right the ship as always.
This morning we are going for a run on a 5 mile loop through the mountains here in southern Arizona. I have only really run once (and one long hike) since we started this trek and want to at least be running or hiking every other day. I guess I'm in the post-race doldrums a little, mixed in with orientation fatigue. I once heard in a college class (can't remember which) that the hardest thing for a human brain to process is another culture. The professor was talking about immersion into another country and the brain having to grapple with so many new nuances, language, traditions, and be constantly on high alert to integrate so as to not be culled from the herd on a primitive level. Our biological need to survive with the herd is strong, but also being on high alert for so long is taxing.
I still believe in our adventure. I am still happy to wake up in the mountains and the desert and be rolling down the road with my crew. I am going to reflect and spend the day taking it in. Last night we went out and stared up at the Milky Way. I don't even remember how long it's been. It was beautiful, and worth the sacrifices. Amen...
I wrote this post about a month before we took off for California to drive our new RV home back to FL. Before we were knee deep.
So we are going to meet at our house in about an hour with our realtor to see what we need to do to get our house show-worthy in order to sell it. We live pretty close to the beach in a very modest but nice 3/2 house and I guess they're selling like hotcakes at pretty good prices right now. We want to sell it and move into a tiny house...for now. We are going to give our pocketbook a break and work toward paying down some debt for the next couple of years by downsizing significantly.
A few weeks ago I wrote about going to look at a big, beautiful, super expensive, beach house. And we still love it, but the truth is our debt is out of control. Or at least it feels that way right now. We recently purchased this land and building we have been leasing for the last 5 years and are still in the midst of construction on our Women's center and with the pandemic and all, we thought, "you know, it might be a good time to scale back a little." I've also been managing both my home garden and my garden at work, both very large projects and my car looks and smells like a barn most days with the toting back and forth of garden supplies, children, dogs, food, running clothes etc. It will be nice for us all to be in one place for a bit. Although we'll have to move into our construction project for a bit while we are showing our house and then be getting the tiny house all set up with water and electric for about a month and a half so we are going to get a little turned upside down, so pray for me if you are into that kinda thing.
Jason and I have been on a minimalism journey (ahem, I have dragged us down a minimalism journey tooth and nail) for a few years now, and this is just where we find ourselves right now. I am a big believer in the idea that the Universe is always trying to communicate or give you opportunities, but you have to stay attuned to them. So this tiny house popped up, and I've been listening and taking in a lot of sage wisdom on getting out of debt, and have never wanted to do the 9-5 til you're 65 dance and then retire and have a life ever, so I guess it's time I actually did something about it. About a year ago I read the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. And while I don't agree with all of it, I did hear it when he said "your house is not an asset." Meaning, that it doesn't earn money, you just have to constantly pay for it, and then some (interest) for 30 freaking years! That is not freedom y'all. It sucks and we all know it sucks. Deep down it doesn't feel right that we are forced to be a part of this system. It sucks that we don't all get to travel, sleep in until our body naturally wants to wake, and are also destroying the planet with all the things we consume in the name of progress, mortgages and keeping up with The Joneses. I don't think that I am going to get to the end of this trip and think, "wow, I wish I would have worked more, or gotten more in debt, looked better, watched more TV, or bought more purses." In fact I know I'm going to be upset at myself if I don't spend more time with my kids, see the world, work on inner peace, and reduce my negative impact on the world through thoughtful and ecological purchases and pursuits.
Amen and Happy Trails.