Living simply for me has started with the mind. Meditating everyday, taking 5-20mins to stop thinking 100 thoughts a minute, planning my next move or reliving my last adventure. Removing the clutter from my mind will be an ongoing process, certainly a lifetime project.
The next step was to simplify my space. Staying with my parents during this transition has had its pros and cons. On the one hand I don't have a very big space to tackle. My bedroom is small, without a lot of furniture and over the years of moving in and out I've already gotten rid of a lot unnecessary things. On the other hand, my room is small and everything we chose to ship from our 5 years in china is now deposited in pockets around my parents house and my room. That being said, keeping table tops and spaces clear, having a spot for everything and purging what is not necessary has saved me from being overwhelmed.
The next thing that I tackled was my schedule. From sept-dec I was working 2 jobs, going to yoga teacher training plus 4 or 5 yoga classes a week, taking care of the house and students while my parents were away, trying to have a social life and be a good mommy to my 2 little dogs. All of that requires a lot of juggling, time management and feeling guilty when something doesn't get done. After teacher training was finished I thought about my priorities and they boiled down to 2: becoming a yoga teacher and moving to Mexico with Fabian. Unfortunately I am not a multimillionaire and can't just make that happen. All those other daily tasks still exist. But knowing what I'm working towards, what's important to me right now, has kept things in perspective.
While living simply has been my resolution I recognize that this next endeavor is anything but simple. Moving from Vancouver to Mexico with 2 dogs and a car.. I know that there are easier ways to do it. But I love my life and the adventure of starting over in a new place. In order to keep with my theme though I've limited myself to one suitcase for his one year in Mexico. Yup, one. Fabian, flying from China to Mexico is doing the same. This has been an interesting exercise in keeping it simple and traveling light. Luckily Mexico has pretty much one season all year round, so that greatly reduces the amount of clothes I "need" to bring, but it's the other stuff that I've had to really think about.
I love making lists, so my first exercise was to list all the things I do that make me happy, relaxed, excited; things I'm passionate about. Here's what I came up with:
Art
Writing
Children
Sunshine/ocean/nature
Yoga
Bubbles
Napping
So with that in mind, I thought about whether the stuff I was bringing was in line with these passions in my life or just fluff. For example, my snorkeling gear and yoga mat are coming with me. My Ukulele, 4 extra purses and all my pretty dishes and kitchen stuff are not. I bought a new notebook and packed my favorite art supplies, but I haven't invested in a new camera or electronics.
This year in Mexico will be completely opposite from our pretty spoiled lifestyle as foreigners in China. We are arriving with no jobs, very little savings and couch surfing with a friend (or camping in his backyard) until we've figure things out. But in a way that's part of keeping it simple; our big house in China needed more furniture, more time to clean, more stuff to fill the rooms. I have no doubt that along the way we will acquire more stuff than our suitcases can hold, but I hope that this year reminds us what's really important and how little of all this stuff we really need.
What would your one suitcase be filled with?
