Wednesday, 16 May 2012

Considering change..... how did you decide to downsize?


More for me than you as a reflection for tomorrow or ten year time who knows.....

When you are restless for change it is a very hard feeling to dismiss. I think this comes to all aged parents who look for something else after the kids have got all grown up. So it comes to pass in my life. Reading the internet I found this article .... Clicky

Reading through the comments I like this one the most - and there was some good advice given (must be a Guardian thing)

  I have moved 29 times since 1982 and have lived in a variety of homes. My present residence is a 4 bedroom house in a rural village in Essex which is by no means small but if asked what my favourite way of living was over my colourful housing experience I would have to be honest and say a 2 bedroomed semi-detached cottage, which was very small but adequate, warm with a little open fire, that touched my heart and warmed my purse far more than any of the other 28 addresses have. This little home was all that I needed and gave me so much in return that it was the best memory that I possess! A GREAT LIFE isn't about great huge things; it's about small things that make A BIG DIFFERENCE Take the bull by the horns and remove all clutter from your life, be ruthless and give to your local charity shops all that you haven't used and will not use and start to see just how much room you do really need, it will surprise you and the health benefits are enormous, you can actually feel the weight leaving your shoulders, after all we have to store, dust and accommodate clutter at a huge cost to ourselves. We come in alone and go out alone, no possession can come with us, so it makes sense to start off loading now and spend what little time we have on this planet enjoying it not worrying about how much space we need as space in all it's entirety takes time to maintain. Time is short, we are only here for a look around......
Think small, it works!

So if you have read the article on the clicky above have you any advice - seems quite a few of you must have downsized to have a life on the boat.... or have you got property stashed away for a return to the land when the confines of the boat become too much?
Posted by at

4 comments:

life afloat on nb tickety boo said...

Hi Nev, I can honestly say, in seven years I have never wanted to escape the confines of my boat as a home. I was ruthless when I had my "clear out" so I could move aboard. Hand on heart I don't miss anything I got rid of! I wallow in the comfort of my small sanctuary and wouldn't change it for the world!

Debbie.

16 May 2012 at 17:58
Anonymous said...

I am, I admit, a hoarder. I know I can't take anything with me when I die, but, on the other hand, I can't bear to part with anything which might come in useful one day. The trouble is, I have so many "useful" things that I forget what I have, or just can't find what I do know I have. Many years ago I thought that one day I'd catalogue everything so I'd know what I had and where I put it. But that day hasn't come yet.

I'm actually feeling a little ashamed of myself, so I'll post anonymously.

16 May 2012 at 21:58
Les Biggs said...

Well Nev, I shipped 640 pounds of goods from WA state to England--most of it kitchenware and books. There were a few things I could have done without but Les wouldn't let me--he worried about my letting go of too many things. To start with its a good maxim to have a sort through and get rid of anything you haven't even laid eyes on or used for one year. Then go back through and be ruthless about what you really need to be comfortable. It turns out--not that much really! I had an entire library of personal books and the ones I could not bear to part with were my medicinal herb books. I reasoned that as a medicinal herbalist I need them to keep myself and others well. Fortunately we live in a time when things such as computers are laptop sized. Also, look for things that will do multiple tasks instead of just one specialied thing.
Cheers,
Jaq

17 May 2012 at 10:10
Mike Muir, nb GARNET said...

Well, like Jaq, we crossed the pond to live life in a small steel box. Lots of "stuff" disposed of (given away or sold for a pittance, some of which we should have kept, some of what we kept we should have dumped. IF we swallow the mooring pin and go back to shore life it will be for medical reasons, and most of what we parted with would not work over here anyway. We still have stuff (mostly little treasures with a lot of sentimental memories) in temporay storage pending sale or give away. All our photo albums are waiting to be scanned anf "filed" digitally, then dumped (likely fuel for the stove!). The strange thing is, tou never notice the slow creep of accumulation until you have to move it or dump it!

12 June 2012 at 21:44

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)