I messaged this to my daughter just now, and when I did, I copied and pasted here, as it struck me how true it was. The moment we started our new life with less, we both felt the weight of so much stuff being lifted off our shoulders, weight we didn't even know we had.
Today we have gathered some more small additions as we get just a little more comfortable with our lives, all inside our trailer, and some left at our northern town. Getting rid of much of our belongings when we sold our home was a decision we made as we planned our retirement change in our lives.
No house, no cabin, no boat, no property, except our trailer Charlotte and our pickup Rambo, that's how we started out.
"Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to loose, and nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free"
A line from a song most of us have heard, Bobby McGee.
We all have our own ideas of what free is, as for freedom, well also there's many ideas what that is too. When we retired we thought freedom was that, we'd be able to go where we want, stay as long as we wanted, and stay most everywhere with our mobile home on wheels.
Surprise, the rules follow along retired or not, there are rules as you travel.
We have learned many of them as we went, I'm sure there are more that we'll learn yet, but most we obey, as fighting them be a mistake. Still, we have less to worry about, or manage with less stuff.
We carry more in our truck and trailer than what others do that just camp, we have all we need, and then some. We learned that we can have all the comforts of a regular home, in a much smaller area, that we can move around the country at the drop of a hat. It takes a bit to pack up if we have stayed anywhere for a longer time, but mostly we can be packed up, and ready to travel in less than half a day.
We are planning to leave Yuma the last week in March, heading back to Vancouver Island. Polly has plans for the trip back already, wanting to give her sister, who will be traveling with us, a good tour about on our way home.
I'm sure will be a good trip back home, we are all booked at our campground of choice in Port Alberni, Arrowvale, it's s a very good place for us to stay. We feel like we have some freedom there.
Campgrounds still have rules, and we know most of them at Arrowvale, but other campgrounds come with different rules as we travel, and some of the rules surprise us, but regardless, we try always to stay within the rules, not to ruffle any feathers. Makes life easier, also helps us if someone else isn't obeying the rules.
As I sit here now and type, or peck as I call it, it's very quiet, 6am now on Sunday morning. I woke early as usual, watched a bit of a movie I've seen many times on my phone, High Plains Drifter, got about 1/2 way through, then decided to write here instead.
I had started this a few days ago, as I talked with my daughter, thinking about when we started out in retirement, believing we would be free. I'm thinking we are to some degree free, still having to live in society, and close to others, we have to be considerate of others, as they are to us. That's just how living close is, no matter if in the wilderness or close to each other, have to consider others in our decisions.
My daughter messaged me yesterday, worried that a war was about to start, and that I'd better get home. I said turn off whatever you been watching, or reading, and go on with life as before, as what comes will come, and you just keep living as before. The TV and news, we can't control, and worry will only hurt you. She did agree, and is getting on with her life.
Freedom to choose, within the rules, that's what we have, and that's good enough fir me. I'm not going to write a song, but I do like to listen to one, especially Bobby McGee.
I think I'll listen to it now with my earbuds, as Polly is still sleeping, and I am considering her freedom too.
I know I'll have a sleep later, and Polly's going to be quiet for me too.
Love this retired life ❤️ especially on Sunday morning.
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