May life fit into a couple of suitcases, and freedom
Something wonderful that I am fortunate to have is a life partner who sees the most important things the same way I do. This has allowed us to share many of our goals and set new ones together, and we both feel happy and satisfied with them. One of the things we agree on, which has saved us from awkward situations and other problems, is our relationship with material things (in general) and freedom.
To help you understand a little better, I'll tell you a bit about our story. Seven years ago, we got married and soon after, we moved to a small town in the Amazon region of Venezuela. There, we have a house, a tiny one-bedroom house with a living room-kitchen and one bathroom. For many, it might have been a very uncomfortable place because of its size, but for me, it was perfect because we had only what we needed, nothing more and nothing less, which made it easy to clean thoroughly and keep tidy.
However, for several important reasons, including my mental health, after three years we had to move to the city. Although I grew up in the city where I am living now, after experiencing life in a town, its tranquility, and how nature overflows everywhere, you are never the same person again, or at least that happened to me. I stopped liking the city so much, with its noise, how it rushes us and mercilessly steals our time.
When we decided to leave, our house was empty except for our belongings, which worried us because they could be damaged if not used. so we made the decision to sell our things so that not only would they not be damaged, but someone could make good use of them. As for the house, we allowed my father-in-law to use it for his work, so you could say that for now it is a small appliance repair shop.
Our plan, and this is where I talk about freedom, is to fit all our belongings into a couple of suitcases. This will make it easier to move or travel in the future and will also give us the freedom to go wherever we want. Or, on the other hand, if we travel somewhere and have the opportunity to stay for a long time, we can do so without any problems and without worrying about our belongings getting ruined.
This may seem like a slightly crazy plan, but it's not for us. Both my husband and I are aware of what we need to live. We know that we have to work and obviously have certain things in the house wherever we live, and with that in mind, we have learned skills (and continue to learn) that allow us to work on our own wherever we go.
I am aware that this is not for everyone, and that's okay. For my husband and me, this kind of freedom also gives us peace. We both love to travel, see new places, and expand our minds to new cultures and so on, but above all, we love to help in any way we can. That brings us joy, and although we still live in the city for now, we have managed to go away for periods of time to different, more rural places, and it has been a great experience.
It's true that I am attached to some material things, such as clothes or things that fortunately don't take up too much space, but with the big things I have learned to let go because I know that by doing so, I have the freedom to go, to come back, and to do what I like. This has helped me a lot emotionally, it has taught me a lot too, and although I still struggle with anxiety, this way of life will always take several worries off my mind and that, for me, is a gain.
-Content entirely of my authorship and inspiration.
-Original text in Spanish, translated at DeepL.
-Personal photographs, taken with my Huawei p30 Lite Phone.
-Banners designed in Canva Pro.
Such a beautiful reflection on simplicity and freedom 🌿✨ Living with less truly opens space for more peace and joy.