Making room for what's important

This fish mobile made the cut and is hanging in one of the cabins.

Today we are Miss Minimalist's featured 'Real Life Minimalist.' If you came here from there, thanks for checking out our site.

When I was growing up, I had collections that I kept in shoeboxes: stamps, rocks, coins, beads, jewelry, you name it. I wanted to keep everything and I wanted to have everything.
I spent hours poring over catalogs and magazines collecting pictures of all the things I would buy when I grew up. People are probably wired to want to acquire and hang onto things. As long as you're not eligible for an episode of hoarders, it is completely normal.

Over the years, my priorities began to shift. I came to value freedom over possessions. Buying less stuff meant having fewer things to worry about, less space for storage, and more money to do things. To me it is not just having less for the purpose of having less, it is making room for what is more important to me (family, time, and experiences). As we pared down our possessions to fit onto our boat, it was easier for me than for Matt. But in the end we fit easily onto the boat and we don't miss a thing. Except unlimited hot water showers.