My Baby Sister
7:38 AM Edit This 14 Comments »
My beautiful, amazing, couragous baby sister (by a whopping 18 months) is jumping out of a perfectly good plane today. First she blew my mind by moving to Brazil when she was a whopping 17 years old, then again when she up and moved to Portugal. Well, she makes me feel proud and amazed all the time, but these days it's with wonderings about how she can really do something. She's called me to discuss joining the Peace Corps. and most recently about moving to live in a shanty town in Brazil to teach. Today she jumps from a plane. Talk about trusting and living and courage. How exciting!
My sweet Ella, this is one that I couldn't do, and today I am so inspired by you.
I expect you to call me the second you get your bearings!
Internet family...if you could send my sweet sis some loving vibes of safety and support today I would appreciate it ever so much!
Posts
14 comments:
I live the way you are planning to (almost). I used to be an attorney but became disabled and learned to live simply. Now I am an author. Love, faith, humility, kindness--these things matter, not posessions. The happiest times of my life have been while I was abruptly thrown into a different life. Very unwillingly. But I have been happier without "things" than I ever had been. I go through things every year and give away everything we haven't used in a year. It is very true that your posessions own you.
Good luck and many prayers and good vibes sent to you, your family, and your wonderful courageous new life.
Mary Dodds
mryddds@yahoo.com
You are so great!! I just found this site via NYT article, just love what you and your family are doing. My husband and I scaled back a few yrs ago (yet still have the 3bdrm home and beige carpet in an upscale neighborhood that neither of us like or want, but are unable to sell right now). I've lost a few friends because we "dropped out" of the coach bag scene, the chanel makeup dept. and knowing the latest fine wine to create envy among our friends at dinner parties. I am not sure why our friends would be so annoyed with us for giving up my income to stay home w/ our kids and teach them here, to go organic and try to live w/ the least amount of assault to the planet, I guess it's as you say, that they might feel bad or guilty for being this way? However it goes, we are happier people for it. Keep up the really great karma and work!! AND GOOD LUCK IN VT! xoxo Nancy Murphy
It's good to do what you're doing. I have my own version. I'm an educational consultant working in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (former USSR) & have helped to found 3 universities & want to get started on a 4th. I live in a walk-up apt, have no car & do fine on $800 a month, owning mostly books. It's a very stress-free life & I feel I'm doing useful work.
Yes, you can get internet almost anywhere, even the Tien Shan & likely the VT woods too. Good luck on your move & congratulations!
John Clark
I just found this on the NYT - this is so exciting. I hope somehow you are going to keep the blog going. I would really like to hear how it goes. I have a similar history to yours and we've begun considering where we want to go from here along a tack also similar to yours. We've cut back some and talked about sailing. Anyway, it's just fantastic to hear about what you're doing. I hope you plan a book. People need to hear about this. Frankly, speaking as the hypocrite I am, it's ridiculous and shameful that we have so much and others so little - and yet we only strive for more, more, more.
Read the Times article concerning you and your family. Outstanding!
I scaled down my life about eleven years ago. Gave up the huge elephant house and the many people it took to maintain that life style. My house payment is now what my electricity bill used to be. I moved into a much smaller home, in a small Texas town, South of Austin. I drive an eleven year old truck. Friends from my former life think I have lost my mind. These eleven years; the only peace I've ever known.
Oh yes, your posessions own you. Maintaining them, watching over them, cleaning them; and on and on. I have given up all of the expensive china, silver, crystal, most furnishings. I can't let go of my books, for some reason they make me feel safe, I have over 10K. Maybe someday, I'll be able to let go of those too.
If I were following your route, I would have to take along; "The Foxfire Book, 1972." Everything you would ever need to know on all aspects of plain living.
Go for it! In the early 1800's when the cities became too crowded, not much land left, there were two groups of people who moved to the wilderness; the very young, and the old. They had no fear of the adventure.
My Best Wishes to You and Yours,
Diana Stewart
dianastewart12000@yahoo.com
I too saw the article in the NYT and was struck by your inability to "get rid of your stuff" and that the non profs didn't want to pick up. Try Graig's List, it's a great way to get rid of unwanted "stuff".
Best of luck!
Rhonda
I guess I have long been attracted to what you are doing. However, for one reason or another, I take one step forward and two back. Part of it is that as I get older--I am 48, I seem to need more assistance to reach a tolerable level of physical discomfort. Maybe if I had started sooner, I would be in better shape and better able to live without a comfortable mattress and air conditioning (we live in humid SC, where my husband has the job he'd do for free, so we're kinda stuck here.) I also wonder about a medical financial safety net. I can try harder to make do with less, though.
Be well and find your bliss--
Kathryn
Just keep plugging away at it and you'll get there. We did it last year and I can tell you it is hard, very, very hard, both emotionally and physically, to get rid of all your stuff, but so amazingly gratifying once you are done.
And once some time has passed, you will even start to laugh at some of your adventures in getting rid of stuff. We have some stories, let me tell you!!
We auctioned, yard-saled and donated about 90% of our stuff, ditched our careers, one car and our house and left the big city 400 miles in our rear view mirror for a teeny tiny home (for which we paid less than fifteen thousand cash) in an even tinier town on Lake Huron in Michigan. We are 25 miles from fast food, 60 miles from the nearest shopping mall, and 90 miles from the nearest freeway. We are THRILLED!
We get by on my art (which I sell on the internet) and hubby's job which he does by high speed internet.
The hardest part, amazingly enough, has been breaking free of the consumerism that grips our American lives. To not be able to hop in the car and go to the mall whenever the notion strikes me has been an adjustment I never expected to face as I have never been much of a shopper anyway, but after nearly a year I've learned that you don't have to go out and spend money every day - or even every week and some cases every MONTH! -- to be happy.
Just keep pecking away at it, one possession at a time (think about having a well-advertised giant yard sale -- you'll be so glad you have the cash), and one day, all that will be left is stuff you can put at the curb and call for a bulk trash pick up.
It will all be worth it once you're done and moved and out of the rat race. Even once you've embarked on your new life, there will be moments - you have "moments" no matter what lifestyle you choose -- but keeping a very positive, can-do attitude and happy outlook and believing whole-heartedly that you are doing the right thing for you and your family will see you through those moments.
Fight back creeping doubts, clamor joyfully over obstacles, and give it a good, solid chance to work.
Best wishes and joy as you embark on your journey -- can't wait to read more about it!
Warmest regards, Ronda
i love the simple lifestyle. de-clutter your house helps clear your mind as well. all the best on your move to VT. Ella, don't forget the 'chute!
I am inspired by your decision and courage. I began downsizing my life in terms of possessions a few years ago and just the thought of stepping out of the "race" was liberating. Now after a few years I am still enjoying living simply.
I hope you continue in love and happiness. Best of all that life has to offer
We could/should all strive to live a simpler life. I think our next move will be to some place simpler.
If your sister is truly interested in the Peac Corps, tell her to go for it. And if she wants, she can contact me. I did it and it was the most fantastic thing ever!
Good luck to you all.
i love brazil.
had live there couple years, loved it.
i am from argentina, but i live in miami now.
i will go back to argentina to get in to a basement in buenos aires. to record lots of music.
some kind of experiment.
good luck
Yahoo folks, way to go!!! Short story about Craigslist... in Jan. this year decided to start unloading stuff. There are deadbeats on CL but sift through them. I got rid of everything I wanted, here goes: an 18' motorboat, ski rack, wheels&tires, stationary trainer, drums, skis, router, pellet burner,telescope,whirlpool tub,photo gear and a wrecked del sol. It was great. I am sick of fixing my house, plowing money into my house,mowing the lawn, taking care of cars, taking out the volumes of trash, a garage full of crap, a shed full of crap, weeds, chipped paint, dirty windows,screens destroyed by cats, dog and cat hair, piles of crap, empty cans, plastic milk bottles, pruning, everything plastic, digging, scraping, repairing and every other doggone thing that you must do when you "own" a house! The house owns me, the bank owns the house and I forgot the property taxes that increase every year! OK, I feel better. Good luck, I will follow your progress and with any luck won't be far behind... did I mention how much plastic is in the trash cycle? Plastic, ugh...
i love you!
Post a Comment