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We're donating pretty much everything. We'll keep our practical clothes and shoes, some utensils, our cast-iron pots, beds, blankets, etc.
Many things will be donated because they are not in the most usable form to us right now. A good example is our dishes. We have no need of a 12 piece, breakable set of dishes and will replace them with enamel coated metal dishes, cups, bowls for traveling and camping with. I have no need of high heeled shoes and purses and will replace them with some sturdy Goodwill boots and a back pack. Things of that nature.
I honestly hope that what we need will come to us in it's true form, and not as cash that will have to be turned into something usable, but I have received enough emails from concerned strangers to see the value of having the ability to have and use some cash. Some things, like hosting our site and buying gas will require it.
Right now we are very lucky that my partner has proven himself able to do his job from any location which has high-speed internet and will maintain income from that during this transition period. However, we are working very very hard to stretch our creative minds and discover and work our natural talents in ways which will allow us to be fully self sustaining. Thanks to the love of strangers, and their urgings, I have been working on a line of clothing that I hope to begin selling soon. It just takes time that I haven't had while working on this transition, to sew and stash available inventory. Once upon a time I was a private dog trainer and supported myself this way. I'm sure that this will come in handy again. The point is reasonably manageable transition into a new life and a new way of being. We are giving everything that we have, in heart, mind, action and our stuff to live a life more in line with our values.
We are keeping only those items which are necessary for clean healthy living and donating the rest.
Though I tried to prepare myself, I am amazed and hurt by those who wo
uld claim that there is something dirty or untruthful about what we are doing. I literally cannot comprehend.We are just people. People trying really hard to do the right thing. We're figuring it out as we go along. We don't have a support team working out the logistics of all that we are trying to do and what the world's reaction to it will be. We're doing it because it feels right. We're sharing because so many people have asked us to. Many people have been inspired by us the same as we have been inspired by so many others! I cannot tell you how many times I have posted on someone's blog thanking them for sharing their lives and inspiring me to make change or giving me a sense of community. We share in order to connect with others...connect with the people with whom we can give and receive freely for the greater good
The donate button is there in direct response to friends and family who would like to help us along the way because they believe in what we are doing and feel that they would like to help monetarily.
Some things require mo
ney. We are trying to put together a full apothecary of herbs, herbal tinctures, flower essences, books, supplies to give to people in need that we meet along the way. This is a stock which will not only take a great deal of money to put together, but will have to be replenished as we give it out. We would never ask someone in need to pay for what we have to give, but I can see no good reason to refuse support from someone who believes in what we are doing and wants to help us keep it going and pull it off if they are able. I have often made money donations to people and organizations which I only wish I could give more than money to. However, running off to join the peace corps or work for World Vision is not in my cards. So I do what I can, and I give when I can, in all the ways which I can. There is no duping. This is what we are about and I have no delusions about how hard it will be.Originally we were going to hold a silent auction and accept money in exchange for our things, in order to fund the bus, and the supplies, and all of the things which we do not have, for living a safe and healthy life on the road.
The process didn't feel right though. While sorting through our things we kept bumping into the question of how to put value on a thing. We wanted it to go to people who really need it, yet we felt like we needed to request money for them in order to not land ourselves homeless. It wasn't adding up. How much is a dresser worth? How much should I ask for the shirt that my son wore 3x a week, but I cared for it and now it can be a favorite for someone new? I couldn't do it and began to worry that by doing it this way the things would not wind up in the hands of those who need them
the most. But what about us?This is where we realized that we already held the answer in our hearts. Donate it. Let the universe/god/spirit...decide who's hands it should land in and let the universe decide the value. What is our dresser worth? We pay it forward and find out! Perhaps it will come to us in the form of salvaged wood, not needed by someone else, but a gem to us! Perhaps it will come in the form of $50 just when we really need it to rent a tool to work on the bus. We're paying it forward and taking that leap of faith. A real live leap of faith that the universe/god/karma whatever will provide to us through the many people who we meet and have something to give us when we are in need.
As Deb Talan would say, "Anything worth anything takes more than a few days and a long, long night. Don't push so hard against the wall. You can't do it all alone and if you could would you really want to?"
I don't really want to do it all alone and that is why we have opened ourselves up to the world. Some hurt will trickle in, but I believe that it will be drowned out by the cries of love and support and I know that at least one person out there will be better for our sharing.
We ask no one to give us anything.
We are giving everything that we have to making our dream a reality.
We are fully aware of the difficulty of the road ahead of us and believe fully, that if we give as much as we can, that what we need will come to us how and when we need it.
I SO want to write all about what I see for our future, and why we're doing everything, but I find the words get jumbled as I try to answer all of the questions. I'm new to this blogging thing and even more new to this open my life up to the comments of the world thing and I suppose some part of me is holding back and protecting my dream.
I'm not yet ready for people to doubt my life purpose, so I can't quite get it all laid out in the open. It spills forth with such power and beauty when I can just be in the presence of someone and tell them, but laying it out in a way that speaks to everyone....
well that's a completely different thing with which I have much less experience.
The crazy level of things w
hich need to happen in this physical plane in which we live tend to get in the way a little too.... Day to day life hasn't stopped just because we're ready to get off. These days we're lucky to make it to bed before 2am and then we're up with the kids by 7.In my heart I know that I am SO on my life path and really, really working to do better by the world and my family and myself.
I cannot wait until we have a place where we can offer refuge and healing to everyone we can hold. I see no reason why we should all be so sick, why everyone must have money to be happy and have a healthy life.
We will take the education which we get on the road and we will use it to build a farmstead and a community capable of helping, supporting and healing a great many people - free of charge!
I apologize for the rambling length of this post. These stream of consciousness writings aren't always the most concise thing, but they get the point across ;-)
Peace and Love to you all
I am ever ever so grateful for all of the supportive, happy, inspired emails!
Leaving comments here is even easier ;-)
"...You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one"
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49 comments:
best wishes to you in your continued journey... thank you for bravely sharing.
I just read the article on the NYT about your family and I was moved to tears. I really congratulate you and your family on finding the right path. You are doing the right thing and I wish I had your courage.
Read the NYTimes article...
You might try the yahoo freecycle group that is closest to you to give away stuff, although you have to have a tolerance for people not showing up then also.
Just my opinion, I would keep your wedding rings. Not everything was to go. You can always change your mind later.
i wish you well but am curious. the may 16 story in the new york times... you mention the ridiculous sum earned by your husband.... with all due respect, you can't be millionaires and hobos at the same time. Hobos ain't got squat to fall back on. Nothing like a fat Internet-generated fortune to help one play at Utopia. Just in case. Surely you acknowledge the it different kind of grit it takes to give up one's possesseions and hit the road when that's all you've got.
I read the NYTimes article and wanted to be skeptical, but then I thought the same thing that you wrote here: you're just people trying to figure out how best to live. Who's to judge?
Good luck and best wishes on your quest!
I couldn't agree more with what you stated. Somehow, we have poorly misplaced our values in society. Perhaps when we build a system that teaches everyone operates off self-interest (capitalism), then everyone becomes greedy as the self-fulfilling prophecy takes over. I hope others who look for a way out also can find a community as yours.
For myself, I just want to leave the United States. This country has lost it, but thankfully many of its citizens still have their head intact and are doing something. Best of wishes to your family!
You guys are great.
I'm 26 and watching my 70 year-old father DROWN under his junk. He was an antique collector who discovered eBay and started collecting everything and anything.
I wonder why it is that I learned so much about happiness in the Peace Corps and so much about depression from my wealthy father.
It's time for us all to assess our lives. If you're happy, keep it up; if you're not, think about what you could change.
And think about what a recently homeless family in Burma could do with the money you were going to spend on those Gucci shades.
;) hugs from Delaware
I just read the NYTimes article too. People will always challenge decisions that move away from the mainstream. It's fear, that's all. It's because in their eyes, you are devaluing all they have worked and strived for by not valuing it yourself. And if too many of you (us?) begin to think in the same way, the truth of the situation will be realized: We actually *do* need far, far less than we believe to be happy, to do well and to be healthy. Your kids will grow up wonderfully self-sufficient and interesting, you'll live longer and more happily and not be owned by the things that formerly owned you.
I am just remembering now when I spent a couple of weeks in Algeria, backpacking in the desert. I needed a small amount of clothes, some food, a comb, water, sun block, moisturizer, tp, and a metal bowl for washing. That was it.
When I got home, I spent about a week in bed because the weight of all the stuff I had to take maintain at home suddenly was just crushing.
I too read the NYTimes article...I love what you're doing. I'm curious what advice or thoughts you might have for someone who'd love to "go on the road," but is loaded up to their necks in student loans and doesn't have the base capital to extricate theirself from the mundane. Either way, I'll look forward to reading your adventures!
This is one of the most wonderful stories. I wish your family the best. You have realized that the only really important thing in life is love of your family. Everything else can come and go.
I found you via the NYT also. I read there that you are headed to Vermont. I have a tiny camp in the woods in Vermont. There's no high speed internet, but the libraries have it available 24/7 and there's likely a picnic table or bench outside, like mine has. One issue I am facing after six months is it's very dark in the woods. I'd have to take down trees for a garden and for solar power -- and that's not an easy decision. Propane is expensive, so be prepared for that.
Your plans sound joyful and inspired and I wish your family all the best.
Enjoyed the article. Let us know if y'all make it through southern Vermont, around the Deerfield Valley -- I'm a Texas transplant, and we're heavily into sustainable living these days. We might be able to trade notes on a few things.
FWIW, we've gotten away from quite a bit of stuff -- not quite to the extent y'all have, but I feel like we're heading in the same general direction. It works out to other things, though -- we're keeping chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigs, border collies, Angora rabbits and soon to have goats. Oh, and a big garden, hopefully (one day) enough to feed us and our two boys. We make our own maple syrup, cheese and bread, and my wife spins and knits a lot of our own socks and sweaters. You'll need them up here, trust me.
Best of luck,
http://www.diaryofamadtriathlete.com
Found your blog through the NYT article. Congratulations on making the decision to pursue your dreams and may the vision sustain and keep your family strong along the way.
Thank you for setting an example.
I just popped over from NYT and wanted to wish you guys luck. Please continue to share. Have you considered building one of those small 110 sq. ft. houses, such as the ones from Tumbleweed?
Peace.
My husbands job uproots us every few years and every time we move we clear out the house down to the basic essentials. For the past few months we've only had our beds, the couches, kitchen essentials, a single small box of toys, the TV that only plays VHS and the computer. It's not to the scale of what you're doing but I understand. I'll keep anything thinking I might find a use for it and then moving time comes and we take loads of toys, books, clothes, and knick-knacks to Goodwill.
The consumer lifestyle is wearing and next year, everyone's getting a tree from the Arbor Day Foundation for their birthdays. Less waste and a little more sense.
Stock up on cookbooks and spices and good luck with your adventure. There's a whole other style of living that isn't mainstream yet but could be. Let us know how it works for you :o)
Amazing! Like so many others, I came across this blog through the Times Article. This is one of the greatest things I have read of and I praise your resolve for going through with it. I can only wish the four of you the best of luck in all that you are doing. I will continue to follow and am happy to help in any way I can.
I feel that you are making a very risky, but brave choice. You are a very handsome family and hope that you all stay well on your journey. Ignore the nasty remarks people may say to you about your choice. This is your right, your family, your choice, and you live in a country that offers the freedom of those things. You are free to do with your life as you wish. The only thing I ask is that you take great care in educating your young ones. Knowledge is power, it is freedom. Educate them thoroughly, neutrally, and most importantly educate them that they have the choice to do whatever with their lives as you are doing with yours.
Best of luck!
Your heart's in the right place!
Maybe some things to keep in mind are (1) there's incredible energy from pushing away from or rebelling against something. (2) when something substantial is removed, a vacuum exists: the challenge is how best to fill it; and (3) what you're doing has been done before, so pay attention to the models that exist out there so you don't have to re-invent the wheel. If, for example, your livelihood requires Internet connectivity, then by all means look to resources - Whole Earth catalog, World Changing or even Google/Wikipedia for how most elegantly to solve this problem.
Best wishes to you on your adventure.
Hi, I am in Vermont near Burlington. It's nice here. Land prices are a bit high and it gets cold in the winter so do keep long underwear, preferably synthetic types. And a good running vehicle is almost a necessity in the country and Burlington is overrun with well-off students making rents high although not higher than Austin I think. Lots of organic small farmer types trying to make a go of it around here.
Learn to love the seasonal extremes and do a little crosscountry backcountry skiing and summer biking (mtn. bikes probably) are helpful. Keep the bikes, warm clothes and you'll be alright.
I maybe moving to Central NY where land is much cheaper and the vibes aren't much different than here... and that's where my 'soulmate' lives.
Good luck and enjoy.
Also found you through NYT...very best wishes to you and your family. You are an inspiration to look a little more closely at what "stuff" is doing to our lives. We can't all do what you are doing but surely we can all simplify our lives in someway or another.
A write up in the NYT, good for you guys! Where can I read it ? Please post a link. I tried searching on there website, but could not find it. I would like to link it from our blog.
Dont worry about all the nasty comments, Moss and I used to get them when we first set out in our bus. People told us we could not do it, that we were naive and no one would believe (at that time) it could run on veggie oil.
Just follow your bliss, listen to your heart and remain open to all possibilities...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/us/17texas.html?ref=us
Just a friend sharing a link!
Can I tell you how envious I am of you all? I know this will be hard, but it sounds like it could be just great. I wish all of you the very best.
Some of the envy comes because something like this is out of the question for me due to my diabetes. I can't live without a pay check and insurance coverage. I'm not sure I'd find a company that would let me commute and give me those bennies. Maybe one day.
Vermont is one of my favorite states to visit and camp in. Have fun and please post some pictures to flickr.
Get some chickens, they're fun, easy to feed and care for, and the eggs are great.
Oh and I also read the NYT article.
I too found you through the NYT. Good luck and follow your dreams and your hearts. Other people will always be a little judgmental, jealous or whatever, but don't let it get you down - do your thing and enjoy your lives. May blessings rain down upon your head. T
I can't help but feel so much excitement from how this movement toward simplicity and better values our generation is making ... young families are really pushing this call to protect the earth and live more wholesomely. I'm not sure how we got here ... but I'm so happy to be a part of it and witness this transformation.
We're not to the extreme of what you are doing, but we are definitely finding balance and clarity of a life not about STUFF.
Good luck. Vermont is gorgeous.
I am a frequent reader/poster on Ben Jones' Housing Bubble Blog.
There are many links on there from different people trying different approaches to life. From a link there I then watched "Maxed Out" on Google Video which led me to read an e-book by Mary Croft last night. Then I pull up NYT this morning and your story was there.
Based on the shifts happening in the world, I do think that people are making a smart move, to choose to help protect and live with our planet; to choose to consume less.
I have a dear friend who has lived very simply most of her life, has an incredibly generous and loving spirit and who, whenever is in need of anything, the universe provides for her in abundance. It's almost surreal. One day, her watering can broke and being an avid gardener, she was wondering how to get by without one. Her husband happened to be doing some excavating on their property that day and unearthed a beautiful brass watering can! This is the type of thing I'm talking about. Continue on your path - all will be well. Peace and love, Julie Rogers
so beautiful! thanks for your words and pics and the sheer energy you put into the world with these fantastic questions and changes and movements in your living. wishing you well! can't wait to hear about the adventure as it unfolds for you guys . . . :)
I am sitting here in front of my computer with my eyes filled with tears. Not out of sadness but of great gladness and I will carry you and your family in my heart forever. I am very keen to the pay it forward lifestyle. I encourage you to please keep writing, keeping a journal if you can about your experiences along this journey you are about to embark upon. I dream of the simplified lifestyle you and your family are so bravely embarking upon. I am Kathy living in the Hill Country. When we moved here we thought it would be a simple life living in a small town. We have been so disappointed. People have become so cynical. It is sad.
i feel strongly that you and your family's plan will be very successful. You are playing an important part in changing the world we live in....
You will love the Vermont area.
Also, there are alot of people who have cabins, etc., just an idea but have you thought about caretaking.....I hope that this article will generate information for you and possibly you could entertain that thought.
As I write I become more and more excited for all of you. I will bookmark your blog and hopefully you will continue to post.
You will find the right path and the world you are about to create for your family will be wonderful. There will be days that may make you doubt, but shake those thoughts off immediately and realize that what you have done is truly remarkable. God will be with you every minute of every day and He will provide for you and your family and will be very pleased with what you are doing, you will be blessed....and remember we will carry all of you in our hearts. Kathy
I don't really want to do it all alone and that is why we have opened ourselves up to the world. Some hurt will trickle in, but I believe that it will be drowned out by the cries of love and support and I know that at least one person out there will be better for our sharing.
I'm reminded of some of the lyrics in a Martina McBride song...
"Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world..."
"The pain has to go somewhere..."
Good luck to you!
Hey, I'm going to do the same thing starting on about June 15th. I am selling/giving away anything that can't fit in my car and just hitting the road. I am 65 and single and have had enough of all this material BS. Just as an aside back in 1973 I attended a gathering of the Rainbow Tribe in Zion National Park in Utah, it was a blast then, can't imagine what it might be like now. Probably the same people just older and greyer like me. See you on the road. And don't worry about a thing; the universe seems to provide for people like us.
Awesome. I wholeheartedly agree with you. However, I am of the understanding that rural Vermont is not really the kind of utopia you're imagining. Unless your utopia includes things like rednecks and the NRA.....Real rural New Englanders are pretty rough customers. New Hampshire's motto is "Live Free or Die" for a reason and the "free" part is generally the right to be an ignorant s.o.b. You're living in a very educated, open minded little bubble in Austin. This will be a very interesting journey.
Another Vermonter here. I live in the most urban part of the state and would not attempt what you all are attempting. Although I appreciate a simple lifestyle and try not to accumulate too much, I could not give away as much as you are. More power to you and I wish you the best.
My only caution is what a few others have said. Vermont is a beautiful state but it is no more a utopia than any other place. Winters, especially rural winters, can be harsh and are long. High-speed internet is not a given in many parts of the state. I hope you find what you are looking for here.
Best wishes.
Keep your digital camera.
I also just read the NYT and was led to your blog. It is beautiful to know that your family is in the world living so bravely. Go in peace about what you're doing. "Courage is fear that has said its prayers(/given it up to the Universe!)
Hi
I saw your article in the NY Times. Great story. We too sold almost all of our possessions. In 2005 we sold our house, cars, and anything that didn't fit into a 10x10 storage unit and quit our job(s) and took our 8 year old daughter out of school to travel for a year around the world. Most thought we were brave, insane or just stupid. I always thought it was weird that people thought it was brave to get rid of stuff. It's not like going into battle, or risking your life! You can read about our adventures on our blog http://only-planet.blogspot.com. Good luck and know that we did come back, we bought more crap and we did "start over" and if you want to do that you can. But we didn't return the same, and by doing this you wont either. Life is an adventure, you gotta take it when it comes.
Loey
found you through the nyt article too. this is basically all my daydreams combined. Good luck! hope this goes well for you!
by the way, you might be interested in the book Deep Economy, by Bill McKibben. Your story reminds me of some of the things he talks about.
once again, good luck!
hi there. read the article in the NYT. i admire your courage in doing this, following your heart and wish you all the very best! hugs from a friend you haven't met in tokyo!
Hi there...been reading for a while. I heard about your site from a mutual acquaintance. I'm following the story with interest!
I just have a couple of questions about the FMS treatment. Would you say that the diet has had the biggest impact, or are there other things as well? Also, is the Gut & Psychology diet much different from the Body Ecology diet? I have the latter but am not sure if it's worth it to buy G&P. Thanks!
congrats and GO FOR IT! People are threatened by your ability to do this, so they attack.
Lots of us trying to find our ways to where you're going, we choose different paths but share many goals. I'm remodeling my house so I can sell it, retire to midwest next year and homestead. It feels conflicting to be remodeling in the midst of personal downsizing, but have taken joy in preparing to leave behind a solid, mostly ecologically sound house. I know if I'd sold it as a fixer-upper no one would have taken the same care to do it right and sane.
Here via NY Times. Best wishes, stop by my blog if you like, there are others that come there that are already organic homesteading.
found you from the nyt article, and congrats! i think it is fabulous, what you're doing. there are several homeschooling groups for people on the road - families homeschooling on the road (FOTR), and unschooling families on the road. I think that if you join those yahoo groups, you'll find lots of recs for buses/rvs. they are wonderful people!
i wish you great success and happiness in your new venture.
Adorei sua blusa escrito BRAZIL, minha pátria. Deus está dentro de você. Fale com Ele. Toda a Existência irá te ajudar.
Aquele abraço.
Ma Deva Renu
Feira de Santana Bahia Brasil.
Truly beautiful aspirations. Best wishes!
blessed is your home :)
Wow, I just found your blog, and my heart started beating so hard- I have tears in my eyes. What a beautiful family you have- I wish you all the luck! This is something that I wish that my family would be brave enough to do- it is a dream of mine- and I believe you are on the right path! Blessings to you all!
I'm jealous. I've lived all my life wanting to "get rid of it all" but not being able to fund an utter disconnection from the sources of money for food, intellectual sustenance, that sort of thing. I'm a brain worker, but not a computer worker, not in the sciences at all, and that just means I can't afford to dabble at unconnecting. Nevertheless I idolize, lionize it, and wish you two and your LUCKY little ones well.
I'm looking forward to learning more about the manners in which things can be eliminated. I look 'round my parents' homes (yes! three of them) and know that some day I'll have to empty them out. It feels to me as though a decade of my life has been planned, against my consent, for me to spend on selling, giving, arranging, packing, storing, boxing, unboxing, or just throwing away. I want some money sometimes for some things; and I want to look at some things and say, well, I value that very much and will keep it (my great-grand-father's pocketwatch; ya know ...). But mostly I can't find a service which will eliminate it; and I can't find the time to do it myself, I'm too busy with my own life.
So, they saddled me with the detritus of their own irresponsibility. And I'm angry. Experiments like the Cage Frees just make me all the more jealous.
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