I can feel the excitement of newfound freedom. The kind that allows you to go where the weather suits your clothes. And remembering that winter gear does not usually fit into the small cubbies.
Many are still feeling the joy of retirement and having time to take the dog for a walk, rather than just opening the back door to let them out. Or being able to work on their own schedule instead of commuting and punching a clock.
It’s that fun time of resetting the internal clock and finding the flow that brings a smile to every morning, where there may have been dread.
Newbies also usually have a new rig, new outdoor chairs, and a few other patio items. We all do it. After downsizing for weeks before hitting the road full-time, you still pack a few knick-knacks you think you can’t live without.
Our new neighbors are a good example. They spent quite a while putting out a huge rug and then surrounded it with a dog pen. A new tablecloth covers the picnic table, and a metal rooster sits in the middle. Then comes the grill and propane fire pit. Bikes are taken off the rack and stored in the back.
Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t have some comforts of home, if that’s how you define “things.”
But things can own you instead of the other way around.
In their case, now they have to worry about all those things. Are the bikes safe? Will the rug blow away in the wind? Will critters get into my BBQ grill overnight?
After you are on the road a while, you realize that those things are not helping.
Downsizing continues throughout the journey.
In our case, I go through all our spaces about 4 times per year and purge. The less I have, the better I feel. There are empty spots in cupboards that I don’t feel I need to fill.
All we need are our two folding chairs, which usually live in the car, so that we can pull them out next to a mountain stream or when we come across music in the park.
The transition to a true minimalistic lifestyle, which RV life is, can take years for some. That depends on how you lived before.
If you had a garage full of everything but the car, then a life change might be a little more difficult.
But once that freedom sinks in, there is no going back. Our life fits into less than 300 square feet. The real living takes place outside.
Today, those chairs are coming out in the canyon, in a picnic area next to a clear mountain stream. And I will not have any “thing” at home to worry about.
AUGUST 24, 2025
