Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
Today we have an inspiring story from Annie, who gave up her McMansion lifestyle to live aboard a boat and follow her dreams. Follow her sailing adventures on her blog.
Annie writes:
“I see you smiling,” he said.
That’s all he needed to say. Phillip knew why I was so happy. It was the same reason he was so dang happy. We had just completed the first passage aboard our 35’ sailboat to the Florida Keys! As we each packed a small bag with a fresh change of clothes and our dirty passage clothes to wash, a realization struck me: the clothes in those bags and on our backs constituted just about our entire wardrobe for the two-month trip. Everything on the boat could have constituted all of our worldly possessions and I would have felt we had more than enough. It took me a while─and several life-altering downsizing purges─to realize it, but unnecessary stuff festers. It starts to cake on like sandwich boards, so thick and heavy, that you can no longer move. Who needs all that stuff?
I remember thinking that the night all of my downsizing began. I was sitting in my truck, staring at my sprawling McMansion, focusing on those little solar-powered lights that ran along either side of the walkway up to the front door. They cost me $260.00 and I remembered thinking when I bought them that it was a lot of money to spend to see a walkway I rarely used. It was just a random fleeting thought though─playing softly in the background. My forethoughts at the time were: You’re supposed to have a big, nice house. You’re supposed to fill it with big, nice stuff. That’s why we all worked so hard wasn’t it? Wasn’t it? I was supposed to want this big mansion spread out before me, with the motorized gate and manicured lawn. I was supposed to want this marriage, this five-year plan, this life. But, I knew I didn’t. I feared it. I knew I was going to change it all because I no longer wanted any of that stuff.
Since that night, I’ve been stripping my life down to its essential core ingredients. One of the best moves I ever made was from that 1.5 acre, 2,700 square foot sprawling estate with the solar-lit walkway to my ratty, post-divorce pad with the poorly-lit stairwell. The first night I took a work suit for the next day, some toiletries, snacks and a green blow-up camping mattress. That was it. With just the yellowed light from a utility pole streaking in, the place looked kind of haunted. I could see the dust on the floor, the cracks in the window panes, the water stain crawling along the ceiling. I could see it for what it really was─a sad, cracked little cubby I had chosen to occupy─but I refused to let that be the image of my first night of freedom. I clicked on every light in the apartment and let a high-powered feminine mantra wail out as I played air guitar in the empty living room. I didn’t care if there wasn’t a stick of furniture yet in it, I had a place all to myself─a clean slate to write whatever story I wanted on it. I could deck the place out like a Southern Living spread, or go all beachy coastal with it, or I could even hang black lights and freaky Iron Maiden posters. I could do whatever the heck I wanted with it and that was the exciting part. It was a fresh start─a new, tiny space for me to fill with new things, new memories, new hobbies, new plans. That I knew I had chosen.
And I was so glad I did. Living alone in that run-down little shoebox apartment made me downsize so many other aspects of my life. It encouraged me to spend my time and my money only in ways that really mattered. I began stripping away objects, hobbies, commitments and expenses that I didn’t want or need and the whole process lead me to a man who wanted to live on a boat and travel the world. And now here I was─high-paid litigator with the marital estate turned unemployed, ambling liveaboard with big dreams of writing and world-travel. I kept smiling as Phillip and I walked away from the boat for the first time in two days and headed to the showers, our two little bags in tow. It was the wind that had brought us here and I was sure we could get by for a month on just $260.00 and two bags of clothes.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
What a wonderful — and beautifully written — story, Annie! Best of luck to you wherever your sailing takes you!
I wonder who will live in all the McMansions when minimalism really becomes the way we all want to live?
It can be a great opportunity to turn them into homes for orphans similar to The Hope Effect project Francine mentioned on November 5th.
Though unfortunately most will likely become businesses.
In reality, there’s too many materialistic people for it to ever be a real issue.
A well written, inspiring and entertaining testimony. Thank you for sharing!
Brava Annie! I too have a memory of my first post-divorce pad–a tiny sublet apartment with no furniture, a box of clothes and books and catalogues for grad school, only a radio for entertainment. This following a fancy marriage with all the accoutrements, including a penthouse. I have never felt so free!
“unnecessary stuff festers”.
Very true!
I can’t imagine living in a large house. I’ve only lived in small spaces as an adult. I grew up in a house with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a big den, walk in closets and a large living and dining room. My mother’s piles of junk were everywhere. Some of the kids in my high school lived in mansions with live in maids. I enjoy living with less especially fewer clothes. I like having 4 or 5 decent outfits and the rest are my everyday clothes. Jeans and a shirt or jeans and a sweater or sweatshirt. Our condo is warm in winter, and cool and comfortable in summer. I am focused on giving away all the unnecessary things in my home.
So much more to declutter. I gave a lot of greeting cards to my friend’s daughter because she makes crafts with them. Then I realized I still have lots of beads to work with or give away. I saved some ideas for craft projects but I am not sure what I would do with the completed items.