On a Slow Boat to Nowhere
Ouachita River-copywrite, request permission from author for use.
That’s where I want to be, on a slow boat to nowhere. Why? because there’s no mission, no rush, no agenda. I have no list sitting in front of me, requiring me to accomplish tasks and mark them off. Some people prefer busy lives, while others prefer slow lives. I very much resemble the latter. I’d rather be on a kayak in 100-degree weather, floating down a river with a jug of lemonade, than just about anything, except maybe lying on the beach on some forgotten island.
For the last two years, I have worked to change how I live. I’m still not completely there. But I’m working on it. That’s half the battle.
So what did I change? Well, a few things. The first thing I worked on was where I spent most of my time, at home. I’m not a fan of total minimalism, but I can see its appeal. And, I’m not above stealing some ideas. I certainly wasn’t going to go out and totally redo the house, or my wardrobe for that matter-10 piece wardrobe my ass. Not gonna happen. We have seasons for heavens sake, which means 4 different wardrobes with some interchangeable pieces, but I digress, let’s get back to the house.
My house is small, about 1800 sq. ft., 2 bedrooms, a bath, and a central living area, which we remodeled when we bought it, into the large open concept kitchen, dining, and living room that it now resembles. The best part about it is that it sits on a dead-end road, and my neighbors are cows. So no sirens, traffic (except local farm workers), or highway sounds. So it’s quiet, which is good. The worst part about it is that it’s about an hour from work. Some people may say that’s not a bad commute, but where I live, 30 minutes is about tops. The house itself is pretty old, and not what I would have chosen, but with what we could afford at the time, it works. Some new paint, baseboards, carpet, and fixtures, and it’s nice. There’s room for me, my spouse, our two cats, and the fish; it’s all good.
As a person on a limited budget, I have always bought 2nd hand, so nearly everything in the house came from a thrift store. The couch, recliner, coffee table, and other accoutrements, bookshelves, etc. I have just recently started to refurbish the furniture, by replacing it with the things I REALLY want. If a new piece comes in, an old one goes out. If I have something that I simply don’t like the look of, but it functions, I refinish it. It’s that simple when you're trying not to spend thousands of dollars on couches and dining room tables.
But, back to the slow boat. My life has been a bit crazy the last 5 years. Covid, of course, moving up at work, and then changing departments completely, a bout with breast cancer, and potential diabetes, my daughter getting divorced after a physical altercation with her spouse. To be honest, I’ve been a wreck. As always, we try to take small vacations, because let’s be honest, most people can’t afford big ones, like Greece or something like that. Instead, we go camping, or take a week and go out of state, someplace close, but not too close. To be totally clear, I’m greedy, I want to feel that relaxation all the time, but it’s hard to compartmentalize the everyday when you can’t afford to get away.
The alternative is to turn your home into someplace you actually want to be, which you can do pretty cheaply and easily. Check my next post for tips.