Shall We Get Re-Acquainted?

I think January first is a good day to take a step back an evaluate your position in life. And it's a good time for me to re-introduce myself here and sum up what I'm trying to accomplish.

My name is Jennifer. I'm thirty-nine, married and have four children. I'm a writer. I'm shopping around for an agent for my young adult novel. I homeschool. I'm not religious.

Four and half years ago my family lived in Santa Cruz, California, a beautiful coastal town. We owned a brand new house less than a mile from the ocean, but we didn't get to see the ocean very much; we were working too hard trying to make enough money to pay our bills. My husband had already quit his job and had started his own independent game company, but I was stuck running my daycare - a beautiful job when you're only caring for a few children, but an insane proposition when you're caring for fourteen or more of them.

So we decided to quit. We sold our house, sold one of our cars, sold most of our stuff, packed the rest and set out for the east coast. After a five-month decompression period visiting my family (who I'd rarely seen over the previous decade), we packed up again and drove northwest, to a small town in British Columbia about 500 miles due north of Vancouver.

That was our first exercise in "halving". Our bills today are roughly half what they were in Santa Cruz. Our car usage has halved. One of us doesn't even work (that would be me).

Now I'm trying to halve our bills and possessions again.

Why?

Two reasons:

1. I'm convinced that all these things and bills are like a cage we build around ourselves to separate us from actually living life.

2. Because I'm also convinced that if everyone on this planet is to have their chance at a decent existence, then some of the wealthiest of us need to consume less.

Call it my mid-life crisis, but I'm sick of shuffling my stuff around, sick of cleaning it, storing it, organizing it, re-organizing it. I want something more. I want time, experiences, friendships, real work, sunshine, dancing; I want to live my life, not be possessed by my possessions.

I have worked hard at halving these past four months, but there is so much more to do. I'm just a novice. Maybe you know more than me. I hope together we can take a journey of real discovery of what life is, what's truly important, and how much is enough.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

I think it's a common mistake. If you find yourself enjoying a new dish, a drink, a friend or experience it's only human to think, "I'd like some more of that!" If a little bit is good, won't more be better?

Not necessarily.

If you double your portion of a scrumptious ice cream sundae, you're likely to get a stomach-ache. If you order a few more drinks, you'll probably end up with a hangover. Are you having fun on that roller-coaster? You probably won't be if you ride it too many more times. And even the best friendships can go sour if you spend too much time together.

And yet the urge is always there. Whenever we stimulate the pleasure-centers in our brain we get a rush of good feelings - just like a "high" - but when it wears off....well...like any addict, we want more!

But this world demands balance. Food doesn't taste half so good if you aren't truly hungry. Play isn't half so fun unless you've worked hard first. Like so much else, it's all about discipline and faith. The discipline to put off gratification and the faith that the "good part" will still be there even if you have to wait for it.

I'm beginning to understand this in a real way, which is making it easier for me to set up my future. Suddenly work, and planning, and organization and the daily grind isn't something to be feared or dreaded - suddenly it feels like putting money in the bank. I know that all of it is going to pay dividends someday - and the harder I strive now, the better that future fun is going to be.

A Confession

Should I confess and tell you all there's a dark motive behind this positive change in my life?

Dare I whisper to you all that in my sweetest dreams I free myself from my possessions and the cost of living and wind up living in/visiting the places I long to be?

Maybe without all the encumbrances I can inhabit a shack in Santa Cruz. Maybe with a small suitcase and a light heart I can jet around the country visiting my Well Trained friends.

Maybe once I pare down to a handfull of belongings I'll get to stay in that castle, wander through some ruins or sleep among the standing stones during the shortest night of the year.

Maybe I'll finally grow enough flowers to satisfy me. Maybe I'll climb more mountains and swim in more streams. Maybe life won't seem forever on the other side of the glass - just out of reach.

Maybe. Let's see.

A Few Ground Rules

The purpose of this experiment is to cut back on things and cut back on expenses (gas, etc.) so that I have more time and money for experiences. My goal at the end of this twelve-month period is to have more money saved in the bank, and a fuller, more interesting life.

That means that there are areas I'll be cutting back on, and areas I'll be fluffing out. I'll be getting rid of half my stuff - clothes, dishes, keepsakes, clutter. I'll be paring down my food budget, my gas, my phone bill and so on.

But I won't cut back on piano lessons, dance classes and tickets to the theatre - those are experiences, not "things". The idea isn't to live in a cave, it's to free myself from the tyranny of my possessions.

Got it? Here goes.....