Experience vs. Stuff

We have always had an adventurous spirit. And we’ve accumulated tons of “stuff” through the years that served as memories of those adventures. Then we would go back to work to pay or save for the next adventure, and the cycle repeated.

We had to give up the collection of National Park WPA posters that graced our living room in Arkansas. We kept two that fit on the wall of our 5th wheel, but the rest we had to let go of. Each one of those brought back special and fond memories.

Since 2016, we’ve been able to take advantage of the one resource that is running out for all of us: time.

My three careers - air traffic control, school superintendent, and pastor - required a lot of time away from home and family. Making the decision to retire and fulltime on the road in our RV with my wife allowed me to give back to her what she so freely gave up all those years. And we decided to do it earlier rather than later while we had our health and vitality instead of waiting until it was too late.

In our 5th wheel, we are very limited on how much “stuff” we can accumulate. That helps our decision-making process when it comes to the souvenirs we choose as well as the gifts we choose for others. We really evaluate if an item is just going to turn into a trinket or tchotchke or will really be appreciated and useful.

For us, the transition to a fulltime lifestyle created a radical shift in our desire for experience, rather than accumulating more things. We intentionally began taking the time to experience life and create fabulous memories.

The journey began by selling, giving away, or throwing away most of our “stuff”. That was a tough process - the mental distress as much as anything. For example, when we had ample storage it was no problem at all to save my grandfather’s World War II ration coupons (I’m not sure what I was saving them for). But this process forced me to keep ONE and throw the rest away.

I’ve loved my library of various research and study books. But I was able to adopt the Konmari philosophy and agree that those study tools had given me great joy and service, and it was time to pass them on and let someone else enjoy them.

While I can’t say this will work for everybody, minimizing our material possessions and investing in experience has been exhilarating and liberating. We have been so blessed to be able to “live the dream” and experience what this incredible nation and world have to offer. And in the middle of that we’ve met up with old friends, met new friends, had wonderful experiences with family, witnessed the birth of grandchildren, and seen more than we can remember in just a short time.

We set a goal of living 20 years on the road when we started. We’re not there yet, so the adventure continues!

Along the Way…

Next: Coming Off the Road

Back to: Livin’ Fulltime

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