Craving Simple

Why do I want to sell the van? And do I even really want to sell the van?

These questions have been on my mind the past week. The van is listed for sale right now. A few people came to check it out, but no one made an offer yet. A part of me wants to reduce the price, so it sells faster. And the other part of me wants to pull the plug and not sell it at all.

I love living in the van and travelling around New Zealand. The last four and a half years have been amazing. So why do I want to give it up?

Yes, I’m craving more stability, but that doesn’t mean I have to sell the van. I could just do what I’m doing now – housesit for a few months – and keep the van. In fact, it would make housesitting easier as I would have somewhere to stay for the days in between sits.

I’m also still no closer to figuring out what I want to do next.

I thought I’d sell the van and get a caravan. I’m still considering it for someday, but it doesn’t feel like the right thing to do right now. I thought about getting a tiny house, but I don’t know where I want to live long-term.

The more I think about it, the more I realise that I’m trying to force a decision I’m clearly not ready to make – otherwise, it wouldn’t be this hard.

So, I’ve decided to keep housesitting until I’ve figured it out. That way, I can live in different parts of New Zealand, but have more space and stability than in the van. I’m hoping to find some longer-term housesits on the South Island to “test” living down there for a while.

I mentioned this to my best friend and my sister the other day. Both of them had a very similar response. My sister pointed out that living out of a suitcase for such a long time would not be for her, and my best friend commented that she would feel unsettled without a fixed home. I totally agree with both of them. In fact, I’m pretty sure in a year or so, I will be over being a full-time housesitter and will crave my own home – even if it’s a small one.

So then why does the idea to housesit full-time seem so attractive right now? And why do I want to sell the van instead of just keeping it while I housesit?

I started to think that maybe something else is going on. Maybe there is something else I really want from life right now.

I’ve been thinking about this for the last few weeks – until the answer came to me the other day. I want simple!

Compared to most, my life is already super simple. I own way less stuff than most. I have fewer responsibilities and commitments, and I avoid all unnecessary drama. Some would call my life boring. I call it simple.

But I’m craving an even simpler life.

It’s funny how simple can become addictive.

You’d think that after four years of living in a small van, I would crave more luxury, more space and more stuff. But here I am, craving an even simpler life.  

That starts with less stuff. You’d probably be surprised how much stuff I had in my van. There is a surprising amount of storage space, and I filled that up to the max with clothes, gear, books, and other stuff.

When I was getting the van ready to sell, I emptied everything and kept only the things I really need with me. Everything else, I either put into storage or gave away. It felt great! I’m left with only a couple of boxes now (plus a bunch of sports gear, of course). It’s still more than I absolutely need, but it’s a lot less than I had two weeks ago.

It might sound weird, but right now, I really like the idea of only having a couple of boxes of essential things. I like the idea of having only a handful of outfits instead of dozens. I like the idea of having only three pairs of shoes instead of five. I like the idea of having one Kindle and leaving all my actual books behind. I’m even considering downsizing my gear and only having one wetsuit instead of three (though my kites, boards and bike are nonnegotiable essentials!).

I like the idea of being a full-time housesitter for a while because housesitting is simple. You’re in someone else’s home, so you don’t have to deal with the complexity of owning or renting a home. You don’t need your own furniture or kitchen utensils. Everything is there. You don’t have to make any decisions about the home either. You just move in, live there for a few weeks, hang out with the pets and then move on.

I like the idea of having a standard car. One that is easy to drive. One where I don’t have to worry about whether I will find a big enough car park. One that isn’t 20 years old and, therefore, prone to problems.  

That’s what I want right now. I’m craving simple.

Maybe it will be a phase. Maybe I will get tired of constantly living in other people’s homes and having to move every few weeks.

If I do, I will figure out what to do next.

But until then, I will enjoy the simple life as a housesitter with less stuff, few responsibilities and no big decisions to make.

However, I have decided to leave the van decision up to fate. It’s listed on TradeMe and Facebook Marketplace. If I get a good offer, I will probably sell it. But if not, I will keep it for now. After all, having the van will make being a housesitter simpler as I don’t have to worry about where to stay in between sits (or if one would get cancelled at short notice).

Subscribe

Sign up to be notified when I published new blog posts.

---