July 8….Today I gave notice that I’ll be moving out of my rental home on August 10th. Now that is Major! That is a commitment to my new and upcoming lifestyle! Whew, I may be sitting here on my air mattress (I sold my bed in the yard sale) but I’m jumping up and down on the inside!
I’m kinda feeling higher than a kite right now, just from excitement. 🙂
AND, tomorrow (July 9), is my birthday. Who would have thunk I’d be excited about turning 65? Sixty-five! Jeesh. But I am, because 65 is…in my case…what gives me my ‘right of passage’ into a new lifestyle. It’s been a long time coming and well earned…and I’m about to spread my wings…whoo-hoo!
And besides, I don’t FEEL 65. Whatever that means.
Meanwhile, back down on planet earth, I’m still packing and repacking and sorting things and stuff. I’m experimenting with what will fit into my truck bed, and trying to remember to think in terms of ‘how little do I need?’, rather than ‘how much can I take?’. If I end up with too much crammed into the back of the truck, I won’t be able to find it when I need it, and I’ll be carrying around extra weight that isn’t really necessary anyway. However, never having done this before, I’m not really sure what I ‘need’, so I may be learning a lot of that by trial and error.
Back to Zen Things again, (see blog entry from a couple of weeks ago)
5.Put space between things. (guess that works better than ‘cramming’.)
11. Think about what is necessary. (do I really need to bring about 25 DVD’w with me?)
12. Live Simply (I really like the sound of that.)
Writing helps me capture my thoughts and look at them, and right now it’s helping me see that no, bringing 25 DVD’s really isn’t necessary. 🙂
Wandering Spirit 
Happy birthday….bring on the red, white and blue medical card 🙂 My darling husband hits his Friday. Guess what I brought him…an 8 disc DVD series 🙂 Won’t be long for you…exciting!!
Yes, finally I get that Federally funded health insurance. Really, I’m grateful for that! A DVD set! Where will you put it? :-))). I just minimized my DVD’s down to my top five!
🙂
I’m so happy for you. Reaching 65 is another milestone in life…kinda like when you turned 21 (back then) and could legally do what you wanted, within reason and if you could pay for it. Well, you’ve reached freedom, again. Freedom to go, do, and see the wonderful sights God made. And to appreciate and thank Him for them. I know we’re not suppose to envy another person but I should would love to be able to sell this house, pack up my cats, and hit the road permanently like you’re going to do. Hubby doesn’t want to go or do anything away from home for over a week. So, in a few days when I get my moho out of the repair shop, I’m going to see my daughter and son-in-law in TN. Hubby will follow and stay about 10 days…his limit. I’ll stay in TN awhile visiting them, then I’ll hit the road. I don’t plan to come back home until about Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Keep in touch. Maybe we’ll get to meet on the road. I’d enjoy that very much.
Cat Lady
Cat Lady, I’m finally figuring out what happened here….why your comments didn’t show up. It’s because I didn’t see the email that asked me to approve them. Sometimes it has me approve comments and sometimes I don’t have to and I don’t know why that happens. Maybe I’ll get this blogging thing figured out someday!
I must have been behind on my email at that time, and somehow missed a section completely. So sorry!
Exciting!
You said it!
Happy Birthday! What an exciting step you are about to take. I’m looking forward to hearing more about your journey as it unfolds.
Stay tuned Michael! Time seems to be rolling like a snowball downhill now. I’ll be outta here in no time. 🙂
And thank you for the birthday wishes!
Happy birthday dear friend and happy new life ahead….always remember: time is on your side!
I had sent in a comment earlier…don’t know where it went. Have a very happy birthday. Not long now. So happy for you.
Look forward to meeting you down the road.
Yes it is my BFF, yes it is. 🙂
Congratulations on joining the rest of us that are in the Medicare set!
Regarding the comment about finding stuff when you need it, I highly recommend grouping your packing so similar stuff is packed together when possible. And one trick that worked quite well when Paul was in Field Service and we moved between cities about 12 times in five years was to number the boxes and put a similarly numbered index card on each box then write what went into the box on the card. When the packing was finished I put all the cards in an envelope. Then when I needed something, I just flipped through the cards to see where it was. My brother has used a similar system the past year only numbering the boxes and itemizing the contents on an Excel spreadsheet. Then he can use the search function to identify the right box. Either way, some type of record that you can search (manually or electronically) may save you some headaches later.
Note that for full-timing, I would use plastic tubs rather than boxes. And don’t obsess about getting everything in the right place right away. You will be shifting stuff around for a while as you find the configuration that works best for you. Remember the lifestyle you’ve chosen will always be a work in progress so enjoy the journey.
Reine that part about enjoying the journey must be very important message for me right now because you are the 4th person who has mentioned that to me in the last few days. And you are exactly right, because I AM obsessing about what to put in which container right now. The way I’ve been going at it, you’d think I was never going to have a chance to rearrange things or shop again, ever. :-))) Numbering containers and listing contents is a great idea. I was working on listing contents but hadn’t thought to make another list and put them in the envelope, or to number containers. Thanks Reine!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and I’m late, 😞. Clear plastic containers is easier to maneuver when they are the same size, the ones with wheels. I’m thinking about bunking in with you, so please have a side car attached to wondering spirit. We can call it Spirit in the Sky, how does that sound to you….?
Thank you for the birthday wishes Ego. I’m even later, finding them. 🙂 Bunking in with me huh. Got a tent girl? :-)))