Being Car-Free AND Home-Free

I know many people who are car-free, and I adore the heck out of their lifestyles. I had aspired for years -- seven, to be exact -- to be car-free as well. But while being car-free was one thing, being car-free and home-free seemed like another. A much more massive other. I know very few role models I can aspire after who own neither car nor home.

My recent transition to car-free living was, surprisingly, the most intimidating lifestyle change for me. It was far more unnerving than quitting my job and getting rid of my home...combined! This intimidation stemmed from an even deeper commitment to minimalism and an even further dissociation from societal norms.

I am Car-Free!

Hear me shout from the top of my lungs: I am car-free! And it feels so good!

I have owned two cars in my life. The first was a Saturn, which I bought when I moved to Arizona for grad school. The car was a valuable tool for establishing my identity as a young adult. I replaced the Saturn five years later, in 2005, with a Toyota Corolla. With a six CD-changer and a higher quality stereo system, my new car was more suitable for commuting the 40 miles to-and-fro my job in the Chicago suburbs.

Reflections on My Turkey Trip - Part 3: What I Learned About Myself

What did I think of Turkey? My answer is threefold. 

In my prior two posts, I addressed Part 1: What I Like About Turkey and Part 2: What I Like About the United States. In today's post I cover Part 3: What I Learned About Myself.

Let's start off with an analogy...

Imagine a mosaic. The more tiles that compose the mosaic, the clearer the image. ¿Comprende? Bueno.

As you've likely heard before, we are a sum of all our experiences. These experiences combine to create a mosaic of our unique selves. As is true for the tiles in a mosaic, the more experiences we add to our lives, the clearer the image of our true selves.

A mosaic of me, with all the Turkey photos as individual tiles.
Enlarge the image to fully appreciate the mosaic.

The Turkey trip served to add more and more tiles to the mosaic of my life. Though some of these experiences confirmed what I already knew about myself, others revealed something new. Regardless, all of the experiences helped me to get a clearer image of myself. All of the experiences helped me to learn more about myself and to asymptotically hone in on my true nature.

The Valuation of Intangibles

I recently sold my house.

This place ain't mine no more.

I bought this place a little over six years ago. I lived in it for 1½ years, and then I rented it to amazing tenants for the next 4½ years.

The house sold quickly, thanks to my awesome realtors, Sarah and Jamie Reece. As Shakespeare would say, Sarah and Jamie made the process as smooth as monumental alabaster.

    February 25: Tenants move out
    March 5: List on market
    March 10: Accept offer
    March 28: Close

My Stuff Owns Me

Since returning from my bike trip, I moved three times within 22 days:

1. From the sailboat in Portland to a friend's home in Seattle, where I stayed for a week.
2. From the friend's home in Seattle to a friend's sailboat in Seattle, where I stayed for two weeks.
3. From the friend's sailboat in Seattle to a house in Seattle, where I will be housesitting for two months.

Each time I have moved, I have also moved my belongings.

I don't own that much stuff anymore, as I went thorough a fairly decent downsizing effort earlier this year. Everything I own now fits in my little Corolla...

...well...aside from the Corolla itself, Shirley (my bike, which fits on the car's bike rack), the house, a box of valuable mementoes (which I'm storing at a friend's place), and a few boxes of stuff from my youth (which are at my parent's house).