Simplify (Leaving for Madrid, Spain today)

I mentioned in my first blog entry, Viva el Mexico, the one where I talked about moving to Hawaii for a year, and then to Mexico, which gradually evolved into a slightly less drastic three month trek through Europe, about simplifying my life.  I feel like I’ve been working towards the goal of simplification for the past year by eliminating debt, getting rid of a lot of junk and stuff I really don’t need, and quitting my job.  Packing everything I’ll need for a three month trip in an only somewhat oversized backpack really puts my resolve to the test.  Nevertheless, I have accomplished this; at least the packing part.  Actually surviving and thriving might be a different story.  Those of you who know me know that I like my clothes, and shoes, and belts.  Well as you can see from my pictures and my packing list I’m not taking a lot of these things.  My wardrobe consists of roughly 5 sets of clothes, accompanied by the most basic grooming items, and not too much else.  Although a bit anxious about my downsizing, I’m excited to prove to myself that I really don’t need very much “Stuff” to get me by.  

Check out my before and after packing pictures below, and the link to my packing list:

Three months of "survival" items for Europe...

all in two bags!

Packing List

The Countdown to Departure

Only four days before Stephanie and I depart for Madrid Spain!  We’ll be flying straight through from Phoenix to London, and then changing planes at London Heathrow to complete the trip to Madrid.  We’ll spend the night there and then head to Valencia the next day to meet up with Doug.  I’m looking forward to some beach time to start out my trip!  Get me a nice Spanish tan…although I’m not sure if that’ll be any different than my typical non-tan.

So we have a rough guide as to where we will be and when, and some transportation and lodging arranged.  A lot of what you’ll see on the calendar is subject to change, but I’ll try to keep it updated so it’s as accurate as possible.  I’m also going to start packing my backpack today and see how much of what I have on my list will actually fit.  I’ll include my packing list and a picture of my backpack etc… in my next blog before I leave.

Here is the link to our tentative itinerary:

Tentative Itinerary

My "Do-Nothing" Attitude

So I’ve been happily unemployed for six weeks now, and just one week to go before my big trip.  For those of you who may not know yet, I’ll be leaving to spend three months in Europe on June 21.  I’d love to say these past six weeks have been spent researching and planning, creating an itinerary to insure I get the most out of my journey, but that would be a lie.  Five of the past six weeks have been spent doing pretty much nothing, and trying to be ok with that.  The last week has been spent finding an apartment, packing, moving, and then unpacking…all in rapid fire.  I’m focusing on falling back into my carefree mindset once again, so I set out to find a new coffee shop and here I am.  The Iced Chai Latte with a shot of espresso is really good by the way!

Most people are likely to call me crazy, but I really don’t want to plan my trip…I just want to go.  It’s all part of my new “doing nothing and being ok with it” outlook.  I’m one of those people who feel guilty for not being productive enough, so much that I can forget to enjoy life…small things like sitting in a park reading a book, sitting in a coffee shop, watching TV all day, taking a walk, meeting somebody new, or taking a mid-day nap just for the hell of it.  I think I just described how I envision life for a happily retired person, but here is what I think about that: Live now, or work hard so you can retire well and die.  Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I honestly don’t see many people who enjoy their retirement.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of hard work; years of it is what is enabling me to take this time off.  I’m well aware that when I get back, it will once again be time to buckle down…but hopefully with a more balanced outlook.  I think life should be balanced with at least equal parts work and play, maybe even a bit more play than work.  The trick is living according to that belief; there is a lot of pressure in our culture to work harder, longer, and move up or be more successful.  Rarely do we look at somebody who is happy and based on that say “Wow, they are successful!” 

So in ten days my good friend Stephanie and I fly to Madrid, Spain to meet up with her boyfriend, who is also my best friend of about sixteen years (He’ll be in Valencia, Spain a few days before us for a conference that he’ll be working).  We’ll return out of Munich, Germany on October 4, and your guess is as good as mine as to what happens in between.   I’ll fill you all in as our adventure unfolds.