As we loaded up my cousin’s truck, I felt relief. The next step felt tangible. We retired from our corporate jobs, began selling off most of our possessions, and sold our home. Now we just needed to finish up some renovations and get rid of our final belongings. There is so much to do to prepare for a nomadic life.
We have been renovating for a month and are exhausted. We are so ready to start our road trip to Phoenix. I felt that we have been on the verge of our new lifestyle ever since we left our corporate jobs. We needed to get our final ducks in a row before heading out. One of those ducks was to complete the renovations on a home we purchased, getting it ready to be rented out. It took more time than we planned and we did more work than we expected.
Getting rid of Stuff
With each passing and exhausting day, the place gradually took shape. Our belongings thinned out as we continued to sell them off. As possessions went out the door, we began living bare-bones. We had a stool and a yoga ball for chairs. We ate our meals on the kitchen counter or over the kitchen sink. Not the most comfortable position until one evening Trinity had this brilliant idea – he pulled open the oven door, sat next to it, and voila! We had a dining table.
My cousin Jake will look after this property while we are away. He has a lot of experience managing apartment complexes (and I also suspect he might be a genius).
Now that the renovations are done, we are packing up the tools that we are keeping, taking some to Phoenix, and giving others away. Jake is here to pick out a few tools and also offered to take a load of stuff to the dump for us, since he had his truck. What a relief to get rid of this stuff at last!
When Jake left, we loaded up our Subaru with all the remaining items that were still in good condition and dropped them off at Goodwill. Among those items was a black velvet dress that I had made in college for a formal dinner—yes, I should have sold that a long, long time ago. I finally feel like we are almost at the end of sorting and divesting ourselves of all this stuff, something that took us much longer than it really should have.
Letting Go
The hardest things to get rid of are the things that were given to me. I was trying to find a good home for everything. I just can’t throw something away that still has life in it, but we have finally gotten rid of almost everything.
Trin had a hard time throwing away his box of assorted screws and nails and other types of fasteners accumulated over the years. I cheered him on when he finally threw them away.
There were more goodbyes this week. We spent a great evening with friends at the Angus Barn. Trin and I have gone backpacking with this group. Lots of memories and fun times. I will miss surely miss these wonderful people.
There are moments when I think, “What the heck are we doing? Are we crazy?” But the next moment I remind myself that I can’t not do this. What an opportunity. I am so excited. If it doesn’t work or we hate it, then we come back and get another job. There are worse things.
