19 Comments
Jul 14, 2023Liked by Charlie Brown

We spent three years living in a motorhome and traveling the USA. Now we live in a one bedroom apartment and it feels too big.

Expand full comment
author

Haha, I'm in a one bedroomed house right now and it feels massive compared to the apartments we normally rent. I don't like how long it takes to clean!

Expand full comment

My children, aged 8 and 9, are currently in a phase of wanting to be YouTubers when they’re older (totally fine) and driving Lamborghinis and living in mansions. They see it when they watch their favourite YouTubers, but I always say to them that I’m sure they’ll want less when they’re older. They never believe me, and are always baffled when I say I wouldn’t want to live in a giant house. All I think about is how much of a nightmare it must be to clean 😅🤣

Expand full comment
author

I definitely thought like that when I was a kid too. And yes, the cleaning is all I'd think about as well! And the cost of heating...

Expand full comment

"So the less stuff you have to think about, the more you can focus on the bigger picture." THIS!! 🙌🏻

We've just travelled Europe in a camper van (after selling our house and most of our possessions) and now we are about to set off travelling in a 4x4 with a roof tent with even less space for stuff. It's freeing and simple and just so different and fun and life-changing and whilst I must admit that it can be bloody nerve-wracking too, you realise just how good for the soul it is. Thanks Charlie for another great read!

Expand full comment
author

This is very awesome! Keep in touch with where you end up going

Expand full comment

I'm feeling good right now about having nothing in this condo except a dining room table and chairs, bed, washer and dryer, and a big work table to do art and write. Oh, and a reclining chair that I sit in every once in a while to stare out the sliding glass doors watching for wildlife and thinking, just thinking. Simple living at its finest.

Expand full comment
author

Beautiful!

Expand full comment

Back in the States for a bit and shocked by the amount of stuff people have. Just thinking of owning all of it, being weighed down and trapped by it, freaks me the hell out.

Expand full comment
author

Me too, in all honesty. It's amazing the lightness you feel when you shed it.

Expand full comment

Great points as always Charlie! Having downsized from a big house, boats et al and a big job to a small condo and now spending almost a third of the year travelling, exploring and working from our travel trailer, there is so much less to worry about, think about or focus on outside of what we deem important. The condo would be gone if not for family and roots in our hometown...and even then... Work is now completely within my Partner's and my control with a constant focus on balance. Liberating is an understatement! Or should I say Simple and Straightforward 😅

Expand full comment
author

That sounds great Doug! Sounds like you're living what so many people aspire to :-)

Expand full comment
Jul 18, 2023Liked by Charlie Brown

You seen a bit startled this week. I hope you overcome it. I like your post and No I don’t pay for them. I am sorry , I am not financially able to contribute right now. But I hope you find the courage to continue. Life seems to be a weird turn of events with constant changes and we all have to learn to adapt. For me, I an trying to decided which way to adapt as we speak. I know you will find that next light bulb that makes your post explode . Just hurry and wait - it will be right in front of your face . And the crazy part - is you may not even be able to see it right now.

Expand full comment
author

No need to apologize for that Shawn, I appreciate all my subscribers, paid and unpaid. Adaption is definitely the key, I hope you figure out how you are going to adapt to whatever it is you're dealing with. Cheers for the comment!

Expand full comment

Thanks Charlie - this article reminded me of two books I recently got into - Lloyd Alter's "Living the 1.5 degree lifestyle" and Jason Hick's "Less is more: How degrowth will save the world" - less really is more when it comes saving us and our world, and growth really can't go on forever, especially in what you've referred to as our WEIRD culture! It's hard to live in sometimes.

Expand full comment
author

I'll put those books on my list. Have you read the WEIRD book? It's absolutely fascinating

Expand full comment

Ooo no, I haven't - I'll look it up - cheers :)

Expand full comment
Jul 14, 2023Liked by Charlie Brown

Great post as usual!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks Carolyn!

Expand full comment