Through the Start Experiment, I discovered
a blogger named Rachel Rowell. I was
first curious about her because she’s from Wilmington, NC (one of my old
stomping grounds) and we had a real life friend in common on Facebook. (EmilyMorris Birch. I think it’s so cool when I meet someone on FB and we have real
friends in common. I love living in a
small world.)
Back to Rachel. So here’s a
little of her story: she and her husband decided to sell everything, move their
family into a camper and travel. They
are living debt free and simply. She is blogging about their adventures on TheLight Life Blog. You should check it
out.
I am not a simple girl. I like stuff.
I like clothes and shoes and designer handbags. I get emails from kate
spade.com. I own a pair of Manolo Blahnik
boots. (No, I didn’t pay retail. I got
them for a steal at an estate sale. But once they were mine, I cried tears of
joy over them. Jason awkwardly backed
out of the room.) I dream of big cities. Paris and New York. Glitz and Glamour.
So why does this family’s story draw
me in. Why do I find myself a little jealous at the thought of selling
everything and doing something that goes against the norm? This story has
caused me to daydream about moving out of the city to a place off a country
road and living a simple life that’s slow and beautiful.
Jason and I are at a
crossroads. Down one path is the modern
American dream. A busy life full to
overflowing with good things and finding myself never more than five minutes
from a Walmart. This life is full of convenience and opportunities. The other path leads to a place of slow and
simple pleasures. It includes becoming a
one and a half car family and forfeiting the chance to ever make a “quick trip
to Walmart.” The second path seems riskier because it’s not normal. It’s not
safe or well traveled and it doesn't add up on paper.
Maybe it’s because my life isn’t
in the place I thought it would be by now.
We still aren’t debt free. Our family of four lives on an income that is
well below the national average. The more I look at our circumstances, the more
it makes sense to live simply. To sell everything. To travel down a path where success is defined by the strength of our marriage and the happiness of our children.
So in the words of Robert Frost:
Oh my goodness this is good stuff. I of course am a bit partial to the road less traveled. ;) Praying that you and your family will find your own path...it is there, amidst all the conveniences or not...you will find peace. Many blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteWhen you live life "Death by a thousand cuts" (quote from Dave Ramsey) you take the road most traveled and I think it leads straight to Walmart! Stay off the path. Great post, perfect picture of the American dream that becomes a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting...I am loving your adventure so far.
ReplyDeleteHaha It does lead to Walmart...Thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! This is something I think many of us struggle with, me included! I've often thought how great it would be to sell it all. But I realized it didn't have to be an either/or situation. I decided to define my own "American Dream" instead of following someone else's Dream. For the last year, I have been streamlining or downsizing the amount of stuff I have. First, I tried living without TV for 6 months. I did this to save money (no cable bill) and to see if I could do it. And to my surprise, I didn't miss it at all. In fact, I still don't have TV. I realized there were very few shows I actually liked, so now I utilize netflix streaming to watch them($8/mo vs. $60+/mo for cable). And I have a lot more time to do other things. As I slowly downsize my life, I realize not only am I saving money, but I am a lot happier for it!
ReplyDeleteGreat post indeed! Start streamlining. Sell things to pay off debt. Once you are out of debt that burden is gone and you are so much more free. We don't need all that stuff to be happy. Opposite, I think it makes us unhappy because we have this idea that at a certain age or point in our lives we should be at a certain stage. So we accumulate hoping that it will be what we need. Personally I think living a simpler life is just what we need as adults, we have enough on our plates. But everyone's dream is different and unique. We can't compare to others. It takes some strength to not allow others to influence us. Be brave, go for it, and make your life a life that works for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouraging comment. I appreciate you reading my post. We have been working to pay off debt and we hope to be debt free next year...
ReplyDeleteI never thought I would be a girl who craves simplicity, but I am. That's a great Idea to drop one thing at a time and decide if it needs to be added back.....Thanks
ReplyDeleteI love this. We've been made (unwillingly) to take the road less traveled many times in our marriage and it always leads to something beautiful. Not that the American Dream isn't something fun as well, but it always seems to never be within reach to anyone... :)
ReplyDeleteOh Diana, Thank you for stopping by and I'm honored you took the time to comment...I know your "road less traveled" has been full of pain but the beauty you can still see is hope-giving. You are in my prayers, sweet mama.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Congratulations on taking the first step towards having pure freedom in your life...no debt!
ReplyDelete