Travel Light

STUFF. We ALL have way too much of it. Our houses are packed full of it. At the end, we can’t take it with us.

WHY do we all hang on to these tangible memories? WHAT is holding us back from the FAITH of what is next?

Let’s face it. As many “options” as you want to carry; Baggage is a burden. I used to pack 12 pairs of shoes for a weeklong vacation. Nice to have options but baggage is HEAVY. LITERALLY AND PHYSICALLY.

No wonder most of us have anxiety. Let alone those of us who work in real estate! People have more STUFF in their house than they can cram in closets, throw into storage units, or itemize out on their credit card bill. This STUFF is making it so much harder for us to be agile, adaptive. Yet we hold onto this STUFF and indulge in retail therapy to feel better when we are low.

I have a childhood friend (Allie Springer) who lives in a “yurt” (Google this; fascinating) and her and her husband/baby live off of wild blueberries and oats from the Pacific Northwest. They are healthy; happy. They aren’t straight granola; they do have Instagram.

Indiana kids have corn in our blood. I digress.

Also, I am not advocating for you to live off the grid in a portable yurt. I DO sell houses for a living 😉

Still, every Godly experience lately makes me embrace minimalism.

Right now, I am NOT giving up my boots, kitchen full of gadgets and tupper-ware, or prized wall art collection.

I love my sought-after, manicured “stuff”…

But, DO I?? The real answer is no. I like the people who appreciate my “vision.” Reality; we are all in a zero-sum, “stuff” game. How about turning the tables?

What we are REALLY seeking is the validation of the people we appreciate; respect. This is healthy.

If we need to flee in the middle of the night, what do we choose?

Ask yourself this.

Priorities will become apparent.

ODDLY ENOUGH. This is a story I know well. Ask Chuck. He is too fascinating for this short blog.

His house went up in flames 12/31/13. When you have about 30 seconds to choose what you can save; he chose his tax/financial records, a few clothes; whatever he could toss out a second story window in mid-flame. The whole life he created went up in flames in a few minutes. He survived. I admired this.

A devastating house fire also happened to farm family friends of ours; The Rodibaughs of Rensselaer, IN on Christmas Eve back in 2010. The Rodibaughs are a well-known hog breeder family in NW Indiana. They are also devout Catholic and NOT the type to grovel in despair. We all watched. Talk about grace.

The Rodibaugh twins never missed a day of college classes at Purdue; even after the fire. These people know GOD. All you need is a fresh pair of underwear, clothes, and SELF-WORTH. They never even let us know they were struggling after their traumatic experience; they had God and each other.

Good people to surround yourself with. Maybe they didn’t need all that STUFF after all.

Life has humbled me, them – and likely, you too. Be RESILIENT.

TRAVEL LIGHT-

Sarah