One Year + 13 Days

Sailing off into the sunset seems to be the quintessential cliche for happiness. Today’s guest post is from Bethany at Journey to Ithaca who along with her family (kid too)  has actually made that cliche her  reality.  Suddenly, I feel like I need a fruity rum drink.

Defining Simplicity: Making Room for the Things That Matter
For us, the catalyst was a Floridian couple living on a 29-ft boat with only two sets of clothes each. They had chosen to forgo many modern “conveniences,” in the interest of living with less stress, and to comfortably live a life of adventure.  The lifestyle called to us and  set us on the path to minimalism and voluntary simplicity.

This is what simplicity meant for us, initially:

• Simplicity meant less stress, and less housework, for us! I despise cleaning the house, and our yard is perpetually overgrown and uncared-for.
• Simplicity meant that there was less to manage, so that we could spend less time doing things that we did not enjoy.
• Simplifying our time commitments meant that we were less stressed. Simplifying our gift-giving meant that the holidays became more enjoyable.

However, we were surprised to find that less stress and less housework were only the beginning. In creating empty space, we found that we were able to fill it with things that we enjoyed—we were able to create a life, based on our passions!
More time, money, and less stress meant that we were able to spend time sailing. We bought an old 29-foot Islander, called Moonraker, and lovingly fixed it up. We have lived aboard for the past two summers, exploring the Great Lakes. Sailing has brought us adventure, and has strengthened the bonds within our family.

• When we are on land, we enjoy smaller adventures—at least one a month. Sometimes we go camping, but we have also taken a trip on America’s last steamship, flown to Madison to watch “A Prairie Home Companion,” and taken part in a “tweed ride.” Adventures give us plenty to talk about, when we’re enjoying tea together in the evenings, rather than watching television.

Currently, we are moving toward simplifying even further. Our dream is to be free of our house, and to live aboard full-time.

We are taking steps to make this dream a reality, within the next couple of years.

Simplicity has freed us up to break away from the script that so many follow. It has allowed us to question all of the so-called necessities in life, so that we can live as we choose. It’s not about having 100 possessions, or following the “rules” of minimalism. There are no rules, because minimalism is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

We set a goal to make this our reality.  If you want to make some changes, don’t worry if it seems crazy, or  impossible. Set your sights, then simplify your life enough to make room for the pursuit of your dream.

We can’t have it all, but we can make room for the things that really do matter.

For more about our adventures, philosophy, and journey through minimalism and life, visit my blog, Journey to Ithaca.