Stripping Away the Excess to Reveal Me

This past year my family has been making some major changes in our lives. We reduced our house size from 950 square foot home in town to 300 square foot RV. We moved from Ohio, with a poor economy and rushed mindset, to following a job on the road, generally down south. My husband left a 9-5 job so we could try our hand at other things. Recently we have started improving our health through nature walks and healthy eating.

With all these changes, we have been stripping away the excess in our lives: excess household items, excess work stress, excess relational pressures, and even excess weight. What this stripping away has left has been mind changing. I have stripped away so much excess in my life that I can now see me. Raw, exposed, honest ME. I am no longer buried in my housework, the constant de-cluttering and organizing. I am no longer suppressed by the economy in Ohio or the opinions and judgement of others. I can no longer run to comfort foods when I feel sadness, overwhelmed, or frustated. I have to face ME.

It is hard to face up to life’s trials and tribulations without things, people, or food to lean on, yet it is so beneficial to conquer weaknesses head-on! I have been feeling an array of emotions but I am actually thankful to be experiencing them now. All of them. 

I am realizing I don’t need food anymore for emotional security. Food is for health and vitality, and appreciated when shared with others. I don’t need to deny or brush aside sadness, grief, or depression. I need to make time to get to the heart of the emotion and work through it.

This new stripped down life is revealing who I really am: my strengths, my passions, my desires, but also my weaknesses and character flaws. I used to run from me, I used to hate my feelings of overwhelm, grief, and depression. Yet now I am realizing that God has given us these emotions so we can appreciate our blessings and the joys of life. 

Life is not balanced when we are only focused on happiness and success. When we turn a blind eye to pain, grief, depression, and other “negative” emotions, we prevent ourselves from being REAL, GENUINE, and HONEST about ourselves. This life of minimalism, travel, and health hasn’t just helped my physical health but  mental and spiritual health too. This life is revealing who I really am and I am actually starting to love that person in the mirror!

How about you? Has minimalism or rv living revealed your true identity? Are you improving who you are now that you have less excess? Don’t forget to follow my blog to keep up with our journey.