Where I am now:

Physically, I am in small town in New York State. Mentally, emotionally, philosophically, on the path of life? I have no clue. I think I’m too young and human to be able to truthfully answer such questions. I’m OK with that, though.

I’ve only recently discovered the wonders of the minimalist lifestyle, so I have a long way to go before I can truly consider myself “minimized“.

How I got here:

I was drawn to starting my own business at a young age, but often questioned my path due to society’s expectations.  I was supposed to graduate high school, goto college, get some ‘computer job’ because that’s the line of work everyone was getting into, eventually start a family, and sit at a desk until retirement at 65 (more likely 75-80).

Don’t get me wrong, I understand how much that lifestyle makes sense for some people, most people even. The problem is that that lifestyle almost without question relies on complicating every facet of your life, usually with things and commitments.

Though I’ve always been inclined to avoid the rat race, I’ve only recently accepted my choice to avoid this lifestyle at all costs.

Luckily, my years of building Geocities pages in the late 90s led to a comprehensive knowledge of online marketing and copywriting that now allows me to earn a meager salary as a freelancer, from anywhere in the world.

I know, it’s a bit strange for someone to adopt a lifestyle that condemns owning more, when it’s their job to convince others to buy things, but that’s far too complex of a subject to get into here.

In September of 2010, just a few months ago actually, I finally moved from my home town of Washington DC to Alfred, NY. I never actually lived in the District itself, but on both sides of it, in the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland.

The move to the rural Southern Tier of New York has been an eye opening experience to say the least. The days pass slowly here, and life is generally simpler, and the people more resourceful. The closest strip mall is about 25 minutes away from home, but (almost) everything you need is in walking distance or a short bike ride away, so there’s rarely a reason to make the trip. Alfred is a great town for a minimalist, or a minimalist-in-training like myself, for sure.

Where I’m going:

As much as I enjoy Alfred, I have no intention of staying. My lease is up at the end of May, and I’ll be heading South to Tennessee; likely Nashville or Chattanooga. It’s considerably warmer, and there’s generally more going on in Tennessee in comparison to Alfred. The move will also help keep me on my toes, ready for my next move.

Before I can make the move there are a few things I’ve got to take care of first:

• Fit my “life” into my Nissan Sentra: As appealing as ditching my car is, it just doesn’t fit into my plan, yet. In the mean time, I need to reduce my possessions so I can fit everything into my small, underpowered 4-door. This includes my basic possessions, as well as camping supplies. Basic interior modifications will need to be made to the car to make it more livable for when I’m in between, what I like to call, “home bases”. Many things will be donated.
• Ditch the desktop: I only recently purchased the laptop that will eventually replace my desktop PC. The laptop isn’t anything special, but it’s more powerful than my desktop, so I have no reason to hold onto this big black box. This task will include moving files to external hard drives, and uploading things to the cloud. Likely by taking advantage of a hybrid of the strategies discussed in Leo Babauta‘s The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life.
• Stow things away: Some would say that putting things in storage is cheating, but I disagree. No one path is right for any two people, and limited storage makes a lot of sense to me. Valuables, and things like old yearbooks will go into a couple small boxes and will be stowed in the basement of my mother’s house in Virginia. I’ll be there at least once every year, and will annually have the opportunity to add/take from these boxes, and get rid of things I’m OK with letting go.
• Save a nest egg: Saving definitely isn’t a strength of mine, but is necessary for my success. 6 months of rent, approximately $2,400 saved before May would be ideal, but is unlikely with all the projects I’ve got going on. $1,000 is more than enough for first month’s rent and a deposit in most small towns, and would suffice. I can always earn extra cash in between temporary destinations, working via 3G and free wifi.
• Get healthy: The only thing I’m worse at than saving is staying healthy and in shape. Quitting cigarettes is an obvious step in the right direction, but may or may not happen. Eating right, however, is a must. I’m currently working on developing a vegetarian dish, and I’ve begun to slowly replace highly processed foods with natural alternatives. I already get  organic veggies and fruit from the local market, organic grass-fed beef and raw milk right off the farm, and there’s only one good restaurant in town — this should be easy.
• Become mentally prepared: Learning to be comfortable with less, as I’ve discovered, is actually much easier than it would appear. That being said, I’ve still got a long way to go, and I’ve only begun to learn to resist the impulse to buy. I intend to meditate more regularly, and to reflect more deeply both here, on this blog, as well as internally.

This is just the beginning, and 2011 will be the best year ever – I promise!

The photograph used in this post is of Taughannock Falls, just a short drive from here in upstate NY, and was taken by Daniel Peckman.