Living Light

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We practice minimalism in a different way. We’ve applied it to our out-and-about living.  We travel light, and I love it!

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Minimalism, and thoughts of living mindfully are in the air this week.  On Racheous, Rachel talked about her family’s recent move, and how switched to a more mindful set of possessions on the way.  At Jitterberry, Jessica discussed her family’s transition to a minimalism lifestyle.

We practice minimalism in a different way, we’ve applied it to our out-and-about living.  We travel light, and I love it.

Before we had kids I was spooked by strollers.  They inevitably seemed to be loaded with numerous items on their bottom tray.  They also seemed to inspire the use of diaper bags, or other parent-laden luggage.  My typical outing at that point involved throwing a collapsible fishing rod, a tackle box about a quarter the size of a shoe box, a few pancakes wrapped in a paper towel, and perhaps a cup of earthworms into a small pack.  I enjoyed fishing in hard to reach places off the trail, behind brambles, and away from people.  If I carried too much, I couldn’t get there.  I wanted to share these experiences with my kids.  Consequently, the stroller/diaper-bag combo gave me the willies.  I need not have worried, a solution was close at hand.

I’d seen women in Boulder coffee shops with babies in wraps.  Their lives looked delightful.  They bounced into the shop with a small bag, and a kid strapped to their torso, and ordered their coffee.  If the baby was awake out of the wrap they’d come for some lap-time.  If the kid was asleep, they’d let them continue to snooze.  These moms had skills that even I would never develop.  They’d take the wrap all the way off.  When they were ready to go, they’d inevitably tie it back on with the baby in a different comfy potion.  Baby on the chest on the way in, on the back or perhaps tucked onto the side on the way out.  Showboats!

So, before we had kids, my partner and I talked things through.  We decided we could have a wrap if the kids were wrapped to me.  We don’t do diaper bags.  We just throw the minimum equipment we need for an outing into one of our packs.  We take snacks, (the kids and I travel on our stomachs), a few diapers, a package of wipes, and a few plastic bags to hold the old diapers in.  Of late, it’s all gone into our 6-year-old’s bag.  I’ll give you that as the kids grow, we need to bring more food, but this is balanced out by the smaller kids getting backpacks to carry their own things in as they get larger.

Our experience at outwards-bound minimalism has been incredible!  We can leave to go on adventures at a moments notice.  We can change routes and plans easily.  And, it’s a piece of cake to take public transit, and maneuver around town—dividing up to scamper through crowds, and having a great time!

How do you lighten your load?