Well I was just doing some yoga in our little yoga studio we’ve created in our one-bedroom apartment here in Milwaukie, Oregon (Portland area) and I was compelled to do some reflecting on our current situation. It’s an intriguing one - and I thought I’d share.
An interesting turn of events has occurred. As you could surmise Jeff and I have moved to the Portland, Oregon area: to a little pocket of goodness surrounded by trees and squirrels and chirping birds called Crystal Lake Apartments. We found the place by an Internet-search when we were back in California and signed the lease from afar with a wing and a prayer. We packed the car tight with as many possessions as we could – mostly the stuff with sentimental value - books and musical instruments basically; and what didn’t make the cut we either sold or gave away. We made the 17-hour drive up the coast with two panting cats. One sat in my lap and threatened cardiac arrest and the other cowered in the makeshift litter box we set up in the back seat. Perhaps the familiarity of the litter was her safe spot.
Upon arrival, for the first couple months I sent resumes out into the great Craigslist abyss, practiced yoga and dealt with the age-old question of what to do with myself while Jeff dabbled in the wine sales industry and ultimately realized it was perpetuating a lifestyle that didn’t line up with his values. Life’s too short to do some something that gives you the jitters: the antsy, nervous feeling that something isn’t quite right… Was he working this sales job, dealing with the unwanted pressures and stress that came with the job, in order to make the money that paid for the lifestyle that perpetuated having the job? It was something like that.
So I got a part-time job working behind the front desk at a gym and he got a part time gig at the Starbucks down the street. He starts this Thursday and he’s looking forward to walking to work and leaving it behind him when the shift is done. We live simply up here and we make it work: our rent is $700.00/month. Our diet consists of essentials and that’s it: beans, brown rice and vegetables are staples. Oats. Olive oil. Whole-wheat flour. Eggs. Peanut Butter. Fruit…Cheese if we splurge. With an array of spices and cheap sauces (Sriracha is my favorite) and a bit of creativity you’d be surprised how kingly – and inexpensively – you can cook with a few simple ingredients. I’m finding the body doesn’t need as much as our society is telling us it does. In fact I’ve been feeling lighter and more energetic than ever since we’ve simplified our eating habits.
We don’t pay for cable; we don’t have a TV. We watch our news and favorite TV shows on the Internet that we get for free with the apartment. We spend the majority of our time writing: we write music and play for one another. We write poems and stories. We read: philosophy, physics, autobiographies, story’s about the Hero’s Journey, books on how to still the mind… We listen to lectures via podcasts by our favorite philosophers and Buddhist teachers. We meditate and contemplate and listen to the sounds outside the living room window. We set up our bed in the living room underneath said window and sleep with it slightly cracked, to feel the fresh Oregon air on our faces and let the tinkling sounds of our wind chime percolate into our consciousness as we sleep. The bedroom is a free space, thus, to practice yoga. We hung a great tapestry on one of the walls with a large “Om” sign emblazoned on it – and it’s a good reminder of the sacredness of the space we created.
When we’re not eating good food, writing, playing music, reading, listening, contemplating, meditating, sleeping or practicing yoga we’re working our jobs – which, relatively, don’t take up too much of the time, energy or responsibility that could otherwise be devoted to our art or development. I don’t know how much longer this is going to go on, but for now it’s a pretty sweet situation. I don’t know what is going to come of this. Deep down I had this desire to empty out and pair back to almost nothing because I have this feeling that the best sort of things come out of nothing. In fact, I think the whole universe came out of nothing. And that’s a lot of something.
Jeff and I got tired of mindlessly chasing the carrot in California so we relocated, paired back and quieted down. It’s an important thing to do, I think, from time to time, because it allows the perspective you have on your reality to broaden a bit, enabling you to see what’s important to you. Each individual has his own definition of “pairing back.” Perhaps to most my definition is extreme. You don’t have to subsist on rice and vegetables and get rid of your cable if you don’t want to. If you want to practice simplifying, practice letting go of just one thing in your life you could probably live without (engagements you convinced yourself are obligatory, that junk-food TV show you watch in order to forget about your world and shut your mind down for a bit, potato chips, magazines, your weekly pedicure, that monthly hair-do session…) and see how it affects you. If the detachment is difficult, or painful, observe those feelings and see if you can get to the root of them. Perhaps you may feel lighter, or more willing to pick up a hobby you wouldn’t otherwise. You never know until you try. Life isn’t done yet. Switch things up a bit - the lessons you learn are good for you. You get closer to yourself and who you are and why you are when you de-clutter your life a bit. Do it. I dare you.
I can testify that I’m pretty dang happy living my low budget life with my measly front-desk job. My time is a precious commodity to me and I like to use it doing things that unfortunately don’t bring in bacon (at least not to my knowledge yet). But that’s just me. You gotta find it for yourself. Your path is your own. I’m happy to share mine with you. Much Love.
P.S. The cats have since fallen in love with their new home here – they’re now in kitty heaven, in case anyone was curious. They have a nice and safe grassy area to chase all the birds and squirrels to their hearts’ desire. They’ve really been able to come into their own cat-ness despite the harrowing car journey north. So hooray for all of us!
