Happy Labour Day, lovelies! I hope the start of your week is a pleasant one. I'm catching up on three days of the blog challenge!
Day 26's prompt...
"Could you live a minimalist lifestyle? Why or why not? OR What does minimalism mean to you in the context of your ideal lifestyle?"
In the context of my ideal lifestyle, having minimal belongings means NO CLUTTER and having only things that truly mean something to me. Things that can be easily packed and moved without worrying about a big truck or a storage room.
When I first came up here from Virginia, I had to leave 99% of my belongings behind. I arrived with my beads, my drawing materials, some clothing, and a few toiletries. Most of my belongings are still down there, but I've since acquired lots of books, clothes, toiletries, and craft-related things. Because I've lived without my junk for five years, I feel burdened by it, knowing I have to get it all up here at some point. It's hard for me to imagine that I have fourteen boxes of stuff. Before I had to go back to Virginia for those awful 18 months, I had even more than that but I managed to donate a great deal of it to Goodwill. And before I first visited Canada, I had gotten rid of even more.
How on earth had I managed to own that much stuff?
My mom kind of revolved around her belongings. When she was a kid and teenager, her army family was constantly moving, and she never got to keep anything she owned. So as an adult, she tightly grasped everything that came her way and wouldn't get rid of it, even when it stayed in boxes for 20 years and never saw the light of day. She wasn't at hoarder stage, but she just had lots of stuff. It was a pain in the butt to move, because we'd spend months packing and have to rent the largest Ryders or U-Hauls that were available.
It was a nuisance, a burden, a stressful waste of time.
Even now, as Trevor and I make plans to eventually move into our own little apartment, I'm still getting rid of things I don't feel attached to. Old clothes that don't fit me. Books I'll either never read or have read and didn't feel inspired by. Paper clutter and any knick-knacks that I'm not sentimental about. I'm using up my craft stuff instead of hoarding it away in the drawers here under my computer desk.
Day 27's prompt...
"What’s your best travel hacking story to date (where you scored a free upgrade, used miles or just got a bonus perk) OR Name 2 ways in which you’re going to become a savvy travel hacker in the next 6 months"
I've not travelled much, so I have zero hacking stories (which makes me even more pleasantly jealous of Matthew Bailey, adventure traveller and maximalist extraordinaire.
I think that I would save up lots of points on air miles programs, and seeking out awesome deals and upgrades online. Our only problems are our complete lack of travel experience, and our complete lack of substantial income. But nothing is impossible :)
Day 28's prompt...
"What travel tools and services are most important to you when taking your business abroad?"
Since nothing's up and running yet, I don't yet know what will be most important. I think email autoresponders, an accountability friend, perhaps a world clock displaying different time zones, and an external hard drive would all be a great start.
Stay tuned for Lovely Things a little later! :)
Love and light,
Mary
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