Keep it simple

I realized today that I have been quasi living out of my car for the past nine weeks. I’ve said it before but I will say it again, I have no idea how I let myself take this year off without planning any of it. Aside from the first seven weeks, everything else was left up to fate.

And as fate would have it, I’ve found myself in Minnesota on the shore of Lake Superior in what feels like the first inklings of fall weather. This year off has turned into two big international trips and two big road trips in the states. My first road trip took me south where I got to experience the magic of springtime in Tennessee, camp in North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi and make my way all the way to Louisiana to enjoy jazz fest with a dear friend.

This road trip has been quite a bit longer and I’ve covered a lot of ground. I landed in Colorado way back in June, which feels like a lifetime ago. After a sweet seven weeks playing all over Colorado, I traveled to Wyoming for a quick visit then made pitstops in South and North Dakota on my way to Minnesota. I’m still in Minnesota over a week later but headed to Wisconsin soon.

Over the past nine weeks I’ve been lucky enough to stay with a lot of amazing friends in between doing a lot of camping. I haven’t paid to have a roof over my head once which is such a gift. (I have given into paying for campsites here in Minnesota because it simply makes my life that much easier) But all in all, it has been nine weeks of living out of my car.

A car that I packed in May, before I flew to Europe for seven weeks, not knowing where I was going after Colorado and how long I would be gone. It was a bit of a gamble to say the least. So far, I would say the gamble paid off. I have felt incredibly well resourced this entire time. Honestly, I could do with having about half as much stuff with me and still be happy.

My life has become incredibly simple over the past nine weeks. I usually plan where I am going a few days in advance but don’t really have any specific timelines. If weather changes or the vibes are off, I can change course and move along without any pressure. Living this way is as liberating and terrifying as it sounds.

But it got me thinking…When I moved from a house to a one bedroom apartment, I thought I simplified my life. Then when I sold and gave away almost all of my stuff and only kept what fit in my car, I really thought I simplified my life. Now, I’m living out of my car, have I simplified enough?! It seems as much simplifying I do, there is always another level of simplicity waiting around the corner.

Even now, living out of my Honda CR-V, I feel like I have way too much stuff. How is that even possible?! I do not know. The past two months have been a humble reminder that we need so little to be safe, healthy and well.

Part of me wonders though, is it even about the material possessions? I have simplified my life in ways far beyond the physical stuff in my life. I have a sense that is the important stuff. For over ten years now, every time I write in my journal, I end it with, “live simply, go gently.” I’m not quite sure when I started this or where it came from, but I still love it every time I sign off with it. It has felt like my mission for so long; to live simply.

What does the simple life look like? To me, it looks like living mindfully in the present. Where I used to always concern myself with what had happened in the past and what the future holds, now I focus on the moment I’m in. Am I perfect at this, absolutely not. But the fact that I can live like I currently am, without over planning and preparing for everything, reminds me of the growth I have made in this area.

The simple life is also a life filled with gratitude. When I am grateful for everything that I experience, I am humbled by every moment. Whether it is a good or bad moment, if I am able to learn from it, I am grateful. It reminds me that life doesn’t have to be as complicated as we make it. There isn’t an equation to figure out or a riddle to solve, life just is. When I can hold everything with gratitude, it reminds me to hold life simply.

When all else fails, I remember that I need very little to survive. I need to drink water, eat a little, breathe slowly, move my body and love myself and the world around me. If life isn’t feeling simple for one reason or another, I try to do one or all of the above. It isn’t magic, but it sure feels like it. It is wild what paying attention to your breath, hydrating and feeling love can do to a person. In the grip of absolute chaos, life is simplified in seconds with any of these.

In ways, all of the above are just ways to shift your perspective. If something feels complicated, adjust and zoom out to find a simpler view. I mean we are just goofy little beings having a human experience. Who is going to remember this moment in 100 years, or even one year from now?! Not a soul! Life is simply an experience for us to have. I’m over trying to complicate it for my own masochistic desires.

Yes, I am living simply because I have a lot fewer material possessions but I know that is only the beginning. Lightening the load beyond the physical has been far more rewarding than anything else. So perhaps a garage sale is in order or maybe it is time to simplify your mind. You get to choose your own adventure. But remember, keep it simple!