We just got back from trying on van life in Florida to celebrate Sophia’s 5th birthday and boy…. did we learn a lot.
I was SO excited for this trip after becoming obsessed with the idea of traveling with a home on wheels.
I envisioned it.
I felt it.
I was open to it not being a fit for us.
But secretly… I was convinced the trip was going to be perfect.
And before the trip even started… our plans changed
With a cancelled flight and Collin and I scrambling to get ourselves to Miami- we found our vision altered from the start.
Add in an unexpected cold front.
Bedding that couldn’t keep us warm.
And a heater we didn’t really know how to work.
And you get me texting Collin in the middle of the night saying…. we need to stay at the Legoland hotel tomorrow for our sanity.
Don’t get me wrong- we worked as a team, were super adaptable and had a blast!
But on day 3 of the trip I found myself sitting on the beautiful manmade beach of our next hotel (we decided to stay in hotels the rest of the way) torn between:
The adventurous, nature filled trip we envisioned.
And the standard, commercialized comfortable trip we were now having.
And at first- I felt almost sick at the difference between what we value and the choices we were making.
We’ve tuned in (😉) this year and realized we’ve been living the standard American life but prefer a more unconventional one- hence the getting intentional and living life without shoulds (like a talk about here.)
So while I know that seems a bit ridiculous- we had the opportunity to have the best of both worlds. I found myself so conflicted.
Why? Because somewhere along the way...
I had gripped so tightly onto one value that it started cluttering everything else.
It became too black and white. My brain decided because I had chosen “unconventional”- that was an absolute. And if I made any choices that were “conventional”… I’d be ‘going against’ my values.
Like choosing relaxing at this manmade beach over exploring the local state park.
So (especially on this trip) I unconsciously felt a way about anything “standard,” even if standard was the joyful choice for all of us.
As I processed this over the course of two days, toggling between our adventurous van life trip and comfortable hotel stays, I was reminded that maintaining my minimalist lifestyle also includes: decluttering my old narratives.
The ones that said:
“We don’t choose the normal way.”
“We travel our way.”
“We’re the family who does things differently.”
Somewhere along the way, those stories had stopped being guiding values…
and had started becoming rules…. Rigid ones. Heavy ones.
Minimalism isn’t just about owning fewer things.
It’s about releasing the beliefs that weigh down your life just as much as clutter does.
I had been so focused on curating a “non-traditional” lifestyle that I accidentally filled my mind with traditional vs. non-traditional noise.
As if one was inherently better than the other.
As if choosing comfort somehow meant I was slipping back into a life I’d outgrown.
When the truth is… choosing the aligned thing *in that moment*… that’s the definition of a minimalist lifestyle. Of one filled with what matters most to you.
It’s not about rejecting one idea over another.
It’s about staying honest about what actually supports the life we’re building.
So I wanted to share this aha with you
how I’m maintaining my minimalism in regards to our lifestyle
And a few prompts that helped me identify the narratives that needed to be decluttered.
You’ll find those inside↓
Maintaining less, to access more of life’s simple luxuries.
Join us inside the paid tier to unlock thoughtful prompts + candid conversations around: decluttering, financial minimalism, time stewardship and intentional decision making to support the daily rhythms you desire.
For intentional creatives craving not just a simpler home, but a simpler way of being — where your actions align with your dream life.
