Be useful where thou livest, that they may
Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still;
Kindness, good parts, great places are the way
To compass this. Find out men's wants and will,
And meet them there. All worldly joys go less
To the one joy of doing kindnesses.
--George Herbert.
I have been writing and talking about my desire for Tiny Living for over a year now. As my retirement looms in the not too distant future, I find myself contemplating the different options available to me. In five years, I will be eligible to walk away from my Company with full benefits and suddenly, that dream doesn't seem so distant any longer.
Five years may seem like a lot and not, depending on how one looks at it. When one is busy living, those five years can fly by in a heartbeat. Would we be ready for that transition? Do we have the necessary supplies, finances, equipment and knowledge needed for when the time comes? There are still a lot of unanswered questions to my dream. Which way should I go? Where shall I live? Is an RV living what I really want? How much money will I need for a project this size? Do I have enough money? Do I buy land, rent a lot or live on someone's property? Will I need a part-time job? Do I stay off grid? What does it all involve?
Dreaming it and living it are two very separate things. Lots of questions and five years is plenty of time to figure it all out. I know what I want deep down inside, but the question remains if I am able to achieve that goal. I have two objectives here: One, I don't want to be a slave to money. Whatever money I have has to go a long way. I don't mind working part-time if I have to. Two, I want to use my retirement time to be more involved in my Ministry, my blogging and any other projects that involve Community Outreach.
I did make a vital decision that I will retire in five years. That's for sure. What happens after that is still undetermined. I know that people think I'm totally bonkers for doing this! I wish you could see people's faces when I speak about Tiny Living/retiring early. They look at me as if I've lost my mind. How are you going to live? What about your cancer?
What about it? Why do people assume that I need to live in a condo somewhere. I want simplicity, not materialism. John the Baptist lived like a pauper, but he was happy. Things and money are not everything. It's nice to have these things and the money to pay for them. The real question here is what these "things" are? It's am I driving a Rolls Royce or am I driving an HHR? Am I living in 2500 square feet or 200? China or plastic? What matters to you? I know what matters to me.
As to my cancer, it was here the past ten years and will still be here another ten or more. It's a part of me like my hair, my hands and my feet. I have lived with all of these things and I shall continue living until the Almighty chooses otherwise.
Five years. . . .shall we begin?
Have a blessed day everyone.
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