The Accidental Minimalist

We have tried a garden many times.

We bought a camp trailer a few years ago because we thought it would be fun.

I’ve had many cars throughout my lifetime.

I’ve ridden many thousands of miles on bicycles.

I’ve dealt with complex software and difficult technical integrations many times.

But….

I like things to work simply and work well. I want to set it, forget it, and not to fight it.

With a garden, the only time it was successful was when the watering was automated, and we used a lot of mulch so I didn’t have to weed it.

We sold the camp trailer because I don’t want to have to tote it around, back it up, worry about winterizing it, emptying the sewage, licensing, registration, etc.

Cars are a pain. A pain to maintain, license, register, park.

If I could, I would get rid of all my vehicles and ride my bike..or use other transit options.

But bikes need maintenance too. Tubes, gears, brakes, derailleurs…So I bought a cruiser to minimize moving parts. I still like bikes, even ones that take more time to maintain.

If you pay someone else to maintain things for you, it still has to be coordinated. Drop off, pick up. “We’ll stop by sometime between 8am-5pm on the 5th Wednesday of the month.”

I like walking and hiking. I don’t need anything special other than to maybe good shoes, or to get to a trailhead. Pretty much anyone can walk or hike, and it is good for you.

Maybe it’s the engineer in me coming out, and less of a minimalist mindset. I want things to work and work well, for a long time.

What are you doing to live more simply?