scroungetech

Astute question, SmallWheels. I feel less encumbered by having less stuff, and have only missed 1 or 2 items, and only briefly. That it is all in my room with me means I'm still regularly scrutinizing what I could do without. I wanted no help from anyone for this last move so I would have to personally carry it all on my own. It all can now either fit in my car or on the roof rack, but not in 1 trip. As far as the relationship that ended, I have only made a few half starts at trying to start with someone new. I'm no longer so sure that I'm cut out for the amount of interaction that goes along with a committed monogamous partnership, in relation to how much solitude and independance I've had recently. Definitely avoiding codependence, and I know plenty of couples who each have many separate interests & hobbies to the point that they barely see one another during the week, which sounds great to me... In my free time the last few months I've been learning more in-depth bike mechanics from youtube amongst other things. I knew about voluntary simplicity long before this thread, and have tried to stay true to the diy ethics I learned from the punk rock scene years ago, and some eastern philosophies as well as nature based belief systems. It was this thread that gave me the kick in the butt to finally get serious about paring down and redefining that which I truly find to be important. Thanks for asking.
But I haven't really answered your question about how I feel about it all. I still feel sh**ty about the relationship ending, and am still trying to pick myself back up & figure out if I even want that kind of thing again. I do like the mental room to maneuver that having less stuff has brought about, but once again trying to redefine the meaning of my life. It's an ongoing process, and needs to be seriously overhauled every three to five years to get ready for the next big challenge or achievement. I'll figure it out.