Time
Around here it has been flying! Oftentimes, it goes by fast when the boys are in the throes of baseball practices several times per week, nature center classes, 4-H, field trips, and all of the other things that fill up our homeschool schedule. Homeschool is really a misnomer, because we are never at home. And, we have always schooled right through summer, there is just too much life to be learned to stop for summer. But, this time our days aren't speeding by because of a scheduled frenzy of activities, but instead because we are in the process of eliminating activities and finding excitement in the focus of realizing a dream.
Over the course of the past year we have gradually lightened our load of stuff. Physical stuff like games, toys, never used household items, extra electronics, files of bills from a decade ago, you know the stuff that fills most of our homes. We have had a few yard sales, have taken several trips to Goodwill, and even brought a donation truck to our house once when we had just too much stuff to fit in our own vehicle to deliver and donate. The kind of stuff that once you start letting go of makes you feel so liberated. Our home hasn't become sparse, it actually feels cozier because we enjoy everything left in sight.
We have been inspired by the ideals of simplicity and know that it not only benefits our environment and carbon footprint to have less, but it is also mentally liberating. I had followed the adventures of the Happy Janssens, The Cage Free Family, and The Organic Sister, among others as they gave up their things and settled into a nomadic lifestyle, living life rather than keeping up the stuff, and I was motivated to follow my heart and instinct as a parent that this path was for us as a family, too. So when the Live Lightly Tour bus came up for sale last fall, I just knew we had to get it. Living lighter and educating others on how to do the same was one of the reasons we started Eco Womb. It just felt right to live it and work it. And, living in an RV, traveling by waste veggie oil, was every bit our style of doing so. So, long story short, four months after first sending an email to request more info on the bus, and many moments of uncertainty later, there she sat in our driveway, the Live Lightly Tour bus, all blue skies and green grass and everything. Clint flew to Nashville, TN and drove her down to South Florida, picking up veggie at a truck stop along the way. The kids were ecstatic, and I couldn't wait to move in and hit the road. A week later we had our chance when my sister, whom we hadn't seen in over a year, was going to be in the Florida Keys for a day. We hit the road and in a couple of hours we were camping on the ocean in the Live Lightly, it was beautiful. We got to see family, travel on wvo instead of gasoline, and ride in the coolest rig ever! We were hooked!
We have been working on her ever since, making it more our home. Clint built a complete loft in the back and we have converted the full back to a king size mattress, so our sleeping space can accommodate all five of us comfortably. We even put in our natural latex mattresses so it really is so comfortable. And, we added new artwork, lights, and curtain rods. We took her on a few more trips, and last month we spent a few weeks on a farm in the mountains, absolutely breathtaking to the kids who have never really experienced anything bigger than a hill, and what fun running amok on a farm. We are loving it, and after last month in particular, we are living it!
So much to catch up on in terms of blogging, so many photos to share and adventures to document. So, while we have been busy, it isn't because of a packed schedule, it is because we are in the process of living lighter and at the same time living fuller. After having simplified our material possessions, we are now simplifying our activities, and finding more and more time to be. Antoine de Saint-Exupery said that "perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away" and I am really embracing that. My perfectionist self in the past would always continue to add stuff to fill the plate, to be busy in our doing, to say yes to all of the varied activities of interest. But, now there is just something very liberating in chasing a dream.
Definitely more to come about the Live Lightly Tour, the rig, our adventures on the road, more products and services from Eco Womb, and dreaming big! Let us know how you have simplified, how you choose to live lighter, and how you have found more time in chasing a dream.