Wandering Thoughts of a Writer: #minimalist

Showing posts with label #minimalist. Show all posts

Dude, I haven’t posted a blog post in almost a year. 😮

Omg, where has the time gone?

I know.

I know. 🙄

Most of us always say: where has the time gone?

But, seriously. I should post more here or get rid of my Blogger account.

The truth is, I don’t want to close Blogger.

I love it. 🥰

I’m attached to it, like a spider monkey.

I try not to have attachments.

But I am attached to my Blogger account and my stuffy Coonie.

We won’t talk about Coonie though . . .

. . . Hell, I’m a minimalist.

I basically have no attachments.

My life is simple. No drama, not a lot of superfluous stuff, and for the most part peaceful.

I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth – the Southern Coast of Oregon.

I’m not braggin’ because the cost of living is insane here, BUT . . .

BUT! It’s the first place that I’ve felt at home.

A connection.

A peace.

I think it’s because I’m surrounded by nature (the Pacific Ocean, the mountains, the deep, plush forest, the river, and the creeks).

I work for the State of Oregon in human services, which has been a blessing because it aligns with the path that I’m on. So, during the day Monday through Friday, a lot of times, I deal with the dark part of humanity (domestic violence, drug addiction, child abuse, homelessness, etc.). In my off time, I work on myself, my mental health, exploring that endless rabbit hole, and writing that next book or figuring shit out so I CAN create a world that you and I can escape and have fun in . . .

. . . But yeah, since I flipped my life in 2017, seven years ago, it’s been a hard road at times, however, coming out the end of it now, or maybe close to it, I’m not the same person as I was, and it was all worth giving up basically everything to be where me and my life partner are now.

So focusing on OUR mental health has been a HUGE priority in our lives, and it still is and always will be.

On the book front, my next book (The Last O’Clery Witch) is in developmental edits. It was going to be published this year, but due to unforeseen family emergencies, production was placed on hold, which is no big deal. I’m not concerned with exactly when my book will be published. I’m just grateful The Last O’Clery Witch found a home with a publisher that ticks all the boxes in what I wanted as my first publisher.

I will post about The Last O’Clery Witch as I get information on it because I love this blog.

I’m going to do what makes me happy, have fun, and go with inspired action. 😁

In the future, my publisher is supposed to set up a website for me, which rocks. You’ll be able to go there to find The Last O’Clery Witch and fun stuff to participate in, contests, and swag related to the series.

Till next time my loves! ✌️

#booknews, #fun, #humanservices, #life, #mentalhealth, #minimalist, #paranormal, #simplelife, #swag, #witch, #writing #author #website #goals #edits #waiting, 0 Comments

Kevin and I created a video today about what minimalism means to us.

As you know we’re total newbies, but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?

I’m totally out of my comfort zone when it comes to pictures of me and now being in a video, especially close-up shots.

Why?

Honestly, it's because how I was treated during my childhood. I had a huge overbite and was teased a lot.

. . . But I’m working on overcoming my issues with my looks and what better way to do that than put myself out there on YouTube.

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone.

I have to say, though, Kevin is pushing me to just do it.

He said today, “Fuck it. Let’s just do it. I have two missing bottom teeth that I need to get fixed and will. So what? We’re newbies, and this is how we learn. One day we’ll look back on it and see how far we progressed from our earlier videos."

He’s totally right.

We’ll know what shots work and what doesn’t.

-So, we made a video today on what minimalism means to us, and I mentioned a totally weird thing we’ve been doing that is totally out of our comfort zone.

It’s live on our Dare To Live Youtube Channel. Here’s the link . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2mz2qE58_Y

If you like it, please click the thumbs up and subscribe. Also, if you click on the bell, you’ll get notified every time a new video goes live.

. . . Anyway, as I said before, this is totally out of my comfort, but that’s good because growth and opportunity will breed from it. Also, life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

I’m daring to live. 😜

#comfortzone #opportunities, #daretolive, #minimalism, #minimalist, #motorhome, #RV, #video, #weird, #youtube, 0 Comments

As you guys know, Kevin (hubby) and I are moving towards living a minimalist lifestyle, and we’re loving it.

Did you know, Kevin is an artist?

I don’t remember if I’ve told you that or not.

. . . Well, he is, and the other day he created some cool ass steampunk/futuristic designs with only two things.

Can you guess what they were?

It was totally organic/natural . . .

. . . He created the following designs with only a flippin’ ink pen and pad of paper.

Here’s what they look like on paper.

Wouldn’t they look good on a T-shirt and sweatshirt hoodie?

Hell ya, they would!

The steampunk gangsta car would look sweet on a sweatshirt hoodie.

-So, I decided to take his hand drawn designs another step forward and did just that.

They are now in our Etsy store (DARETOLIVESHOP), because those designs are too cool not to share them with the world and give the
people who appreciate organic/hand drawn art, the opportunity to wear it.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/651402984/unisex-steampunk-hooded-sweatshirt?ref=shop_home_active_4

There will be more hand drawn by pen designs by Kevin in the future, and I’m excited to find out what he comes up with next. I’m trying to talk him into creating a steampunk-type cat that is writing for a T-shirt design, but being an author, I understand you can’t force creativity, so if he’s feeling inspired to draw it, he will, if not, something else kickass will come into fruition.

-Anyway, this is another step towards the life we’re creating.

Baby steps, remember?

Our Etsy store is a side hustle that I haven’t had time to focus on to grow because I’ve been working on other projects that’ll eventually come into play with the life we’re creating.

This shit takes time, and sometimes it seems like it’s taking forever and nothing is working. That’s where patience comes in and me giving myself a pep talk on not to give up, keep going.

Eventually, everything will come together and all our hard work will pay off.

We recently did an overview on everything we’ve done this year. We’re proud of ourselves for all that we’ve accomplished, and we’re happy where we’re at and the path we’re on.

Here’s a little reminder.

#art, #etsy, #goals, #hustle, #lifestyle, #minimalist, #patience, #projects, #shirts, #tshirts, 0 Comments

We’re all about simplicity and being as self-sufficient as we can.

When the concept to be digital nomads and travel the U.S. came into fruition in our minds, I discovered the composting toilet. I mentioned it to Kevin, but he wasn’t onboard with the idea right away.

(This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you use them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I love.)

During the months of watching Youtube videos of other full-time RVers living the lifestyle we were working towards adopting, Kevin warmed up to the idea.

At first, he thought about building one for us.

Thankfully, I talked him into getting the Nature’s Head composting toilet. https://amzn.to/2PIxC4v

It’s all about embracing the minimalist’s mindset.

With a regular toilet in an RV, we’d have to deal with the black water tank, putting chemicals in it, attaching a hose to dump, and finding a dumping station. Not to mention, the possibility of having something go wrong while dumping our waste and having it spill all over us.

Nasty.

That happened to a fellow Rver, and he was not a happy camper. No pun intended.

With the composting toilet there are no chemicals, and it’s good for the environment.

Here's what ours look like and an explanation of the simple mechanics behind it.

We're still in the process of renovating our RV (Aesop), and we haven't worked on the bathroom yet, except for tearing out the carpet.

We bought this CoCo Coir to put in our composting toilet.

It’s all-natural.

Your poo turns to compost, and instead of your toilet smelling like shit, it smells like damp earth.

-So, with a composting toilet, we won't be reliant on the sewer system, and it's good for the environment.

It is costly, but worth it in the long run. If down the road (again, no pun intended) we decide to get a new rig, van, or a cabin, we can take the composting toilet with us.

The next thing we had to think about was our refrigerator.

I briefly talked about it before in another post I wrote:

-It's not a 3-way fridge

-3-way refrigerators are expensive. They cost between $1,500-$2,000.00.

We pondered over this situation for a while, and then one day it hit us.

We were thinking from a sticks and bricks mindset, not a minimalist one.

We don't need a big fridge.

All we need is a week's worth of food.

. . . Let's be real here. Most people buy too much food and waste it.

I'm guilty of that, and I hate wasting food.

-So, yeah, at the beginning we weren't thinking correctly. Our thoughts weren't aligned with the minimalist lifestyle we were embracing.

One night, Kevin came across this little badass refrigerator.

The Dobinsons 4X4

https://amzn.to/2odoJmQ

When it arrived at our house, at first I was like: I don't know about this. It's small.

. . . But, after examining it and putting some food in it, I realized it's perfect for our needs.

It'll totally hold a weeks worth of food.

No problem.

-And it runs on solar power as well as 110, and it's portable.

Here's what Kevin did with the space that the original refrigerator was in. He's not done yet, but this is what it looks like at the present moment.

He made shelves for our books or for whatever.

I have to say, the more we embrace this alternative lifestyle, the more liberated we feel.

#allnatural, #alternative, #compostingtoilet, #liberate, #lifestyle, #minimalist, #nature, #nomadiclifestyle #insecure, #refrigerator, #renovation, #RV, #self-discovery, #solar, #travel, 2 Comments

If you had the chance, would you backpack around the world?

I was telling Kevin I want to backpack across Southeast Asia, and I’ve done some research on it. It’s totally doable, and the cost would be relatively low.

To my delight, he was open to my suggestion, and then we talked about doing the same thing across Europe. I would continue with my freelance writing and writing books as well as creating a documentary of our journey and sharing it with the world.

. . . But, I will not leave this guy behind. So those plans are on hold for now.

I’m cool with that because currently we’re in the process of becoming minimalist and preparing ourselves to travel the US as digital nomads.

That’s a huge undertaking that one shouldn’t do on a whim.

Don’tcha agree?

-So we’re taking our time and going with the flow.

I have to be honest here . . . since we’ve decided we want to live an alternative lifestyle as minimalist to where we’ll be living in the now, discovering self and no longer just existing, I've had a strong feeling of liberation and a happiness I’ve never experienced before.

-However, my happiness is not wrapped up in the RV (Aesop) or the idea of all the adventures Kevin and I are going to have or us backpacking across Southeast Asia.

My happiness derives from answering this simple question last August 2017:

Who was I before society told me who I should be?

After honestly answering that question and realizing I don’t need all the stuff I have, I got busy changing my life and returning back to who I truly am. I’m still working on it, btw. Fortunately, Kevin is on the same page as me, and he’s doing his own work beside me.

I’ve learned, though from past experiences that I’m the only one that’s going to make me happy, not another person, and not material objects.

Happiness is a choice.

. . . But this post isn’t about happiness. I already wrote an article about that topic. Hereà https://medium.com/@authorrebekkahford/fifteen-things-you-can-do-to-make-yourself-happy-27612f0f9027

Anyway, I know this path we’re going to embark on will be a challenging one and there will be sacrifices, but I also know for me personally, if I were to continue on with the life I have now, I'd be just existing instead of living. Ten years from now, I’d be living the same life.

I don’t want that.

Yes, I’ll be totally stepping out of my comfort zone, but that’s okay. Growth happens when you step out of your comfort zone and you open yourself up for new opportunities that would normally not happen if you didn’t step out of your protective bubble.

Backpacking across a country or even your own, would be an experience of a lifetime and totally stepping out of your comfort zone.

-However, it’s not for everyone, which is fine.

I have no judgment here.

Do what makes YOU happy and live your life the way you want to.

. . . But, if I ever have the opportunity to backpack across Southeast Asia or Europe, I will, and I’ll share the experience with you. For sure. :)

#alternative, #backpacking, #change, #comfortzone #opportunities, #countries, #documentary, #happiness, #life, #minimalist, #nomads, #risk, #society, #world, 0 Comments

Being a minimalist can mean many things:

You only own the things you can carry in a backpack, suitcase, or car.

You downsize your life, intentionally living with fewer possessions.

Minimalism is basically owning less stuff so you can have more freedom to do what’s most important to you.

It’s living simply.

It’s discarding the things that doesn’t serve you and keeping the things that do.

It comes down to this . . .

What do you value most in life?

A minimalist lives her life deliberately, simply, and is selective with what she keeps in her life and how she spends her time. She does what matters to her.

Now just because someone is a minimalist, doesn’t mean he gave up all the comforts and convenience of life.

Hell, no.

If he uses something often, he keeps it.

However, there’s the extreme minimalist who only owns the stuff in his backpack.

The cool thing about being a minimalist, besides the whole concept, is it’s not about depriving yourself, it’s about removing the excess in your life—all the crap that’s been weighing you down, AND you’re in charge of how you want to be a minimalist.

…There are no set rules.

Last summer I was feeling low.

I had no idea why.

One evening, I was alone, standing in our dining room, looking at all of our stuff.

STUFF.

Why in the hell do we have all of this crap?

It doesn’t serve us.

And I'm living the same life . . .

Every. Frickin'. Day.

If I continue living like this, my life will be the same until I die.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

I'm existing.

Not living!

Then it hit me.

I’ve been feeling weighed down and enslaved by all the things we have and don’t need.

Bingo!

I found my problem.

My thoughts took it further.

Kevin and I own a small 2-story house. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a basement. We spend most of our time in 2 rooms.

The rest is wasted space.

Hmmmm.

When Kevin got home that night, I told him how I felt and what I discovered.

He was all for becoming a minimalist, and somehow the whole RV idea came into fruition.

So next weekend we’re having a huge yard sale.

HUGE!

I know we’ll still have a bunch of things to get rid of before we become full-timers (digital nomad), but we’ll be putting a nice size dent into getting rid of the stuff that doesn’t serve us.

Once we get to the point to where everything we own fits into our RV (Aesop), I’ll be able to say we’re minimalist and proud of it.

#choices, #daretolive, #freedom, #life, #living, #love, #minimalism, #minimalist, #possessions, #problem, #RV, #value, 0 Comments

My RV (Aesop) is still waiting to get the parts installed. I was hoping we’d have Aesop by this weekend so we can start the renovation.

Nope.

But to be honest, it’s getting serviced at Kevin’s work, and it’s not a priority. The reason why is because the truckers who bring in their semi-trucks and the farmers who bring in their equipment to be fixed is more important than our RV.

I totally understand.

That’s how they make a living, so the truckers need to be on the road ASAP, as well as the farmers needing to get back in the field to plant their crops.

Yeah, our RV can wait.

We were going to go to Kevin's work this morning and start the renovation, but we didn’t get up early enough—we stayed up late watching Robin Williams’ comedy act—and now it’s too hot to work on it. So maybe tomorrow or Monday.

So that’s where we're at with Aesop. We’re hoping this week to find someone who has a shop with a/c that we can use/rent out to do our renovation. If not, we’ll power through this heat.

Meanwhile, we’ve been working on being a minimalist. We’ve been going through a lot of our stuff and preparing for a huge yard sale in 2 weeks to sell it all. We already took the first step months ago when we went through our kitchen stuff and gave most of it away.

I have to be honest here . . . it feels wonderful to get rid of all the stuff we have that doesn’t serve us or carry some sort of sentimental value in our hearts. We’re looking forward to living a minimalist lifestyle where we’ll be collecting memories instead of stuff. We’re also excited about sharing our journey with the world.

To make things clear, though, I have no judgment regarding people living a contemporary life.

Live the life that makes you happy.

Just because Kevin and I decided to embrace an alternative lifestyle, doesn’t mean we look down on people who don’t.

Do what is right for you.

Tomorrow isn’t promised to us, so make each day count, and create a life that brings you joy, excitement, and growth.

#futureplans, #happiness, #life, #minimalist, #renovation, #RV, 0 Comments

This bag of coins was more than half full before I took this picture. They’re coins from all around the world, and Kevin wanted to throw them away.

Why?

He thought it was much better to throw them in the trash than to try to figure out what to do with them.

You see we’re not all about materialistic things. In fact, we’re in the process of becoming minimalist—to only keep the things that serve us or has a sentimental value.

So I understood where he was coming from. The coins had no value to us. However, I took the bag from him and stashed it in the drawer of my desk.

“You’re not throwing away smiles,” I told him.

What I meant by that was if a kid found some of those coins on the ground, he or she would smile, thinking it was cool. I remember as a child finding loose change in the grass, and it most certainly made me smile.

Last Friday night, Kevin and I took a walk around our town. At the beginning of our walk, he tossed something on the ground. I turned to see what it was, and he told me not to look, to keep walking. I then realized he just dropped one of those coins on the ground.

I had totally forgotten I was going to do that, but he didn’t and took it upon himself to hand out smiles. I then asked him to give me some, and he did. We strolled through the park where there were kids playing and covertly released coins throughout the playground.

“This is fun,” Kevin said to me. “I’m glad you kept these coins.”

It was fun, and then on Saturday night, we finished tossing the rest of the change around town where we knew kids would find them.

This afternoon, we took another walk around town (we love to walk) and saw an adult male with a metal detector in the park we dropped the coins at. We couldn’t help but laugh and smile, thinking we might have created some gossip around our small town (this town loves to gossip) that would be centered on the mysterious worldly coins. So the smiles those coins created weren’t only reserved for the children like I thought, they were for everyone, including ourselves.