Finding Joy in Blank Spaces

NEW YORK, New York // Moving Life Lessons //

We lived by the philosophy that anything we touched is one of three things: Goodwill, Garbage, or Pack. This kept us focused and helped us categorize our things. 

We gave away two-thirds of our posessions and made $485 on craigslist selling furniture. Towards the end I would have given things away if people were willing to carry them down our four flights of stairs. Getting rid of the excess was a liberating exercise that we have decided we will continue every year even if we are not moving. Blank spaces are beautiful. Our empty apartment was simple and elegant. I am not sure why we expand until we fill every nook and cranny with things. I didn't appreciate all the space, natural wood floors, and sunlight we had until it was empty. Emptiness can be powerful. 

There was an experiment I read about which let one group choose from 30 chocolates and the other group pick from 6 different chocolates. In the end the people that only had 6 choices were more satisfied with their decisions. Having less options makes us happier. A great example of this we noticed was with our coffee mugs. Adam has two favorite mugs he always uses. At any one given time we only ever have 4 mugs out of the cabinet yet we had over 30 mugs (just in case 30 friends came over on a cool fall day for a hot chocolate party...who knows). We got rid of 26 mugs and every time I opened the cabinet I was happier. Why hadn't we done this years ago? 

I got a little aggressive with our philosophy in only one instance. Two days before we moved out I decided the shower curtains were garbage. Even with your body pushed against the far wall water still gets everywhere. You live, you learn, and I will never under appreciate the purpose of the shower curtain again. We do need some things.

Less brought me more overall Joy though. Purging also made me a much more conscious consumer. I ask myself constantly, "Will it bring Joy into my life?"

Leaving NYC

NEW YORK, New York // Adam and I have been packing our things for our next big adventure. We are leaving NYC and taking a year off to visit family and friends and to do some traveling before we re-establish ourselves somewhere. I think Henry David Thoreau said it best in Walden "I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and I could not spare any more time for that one." We have achieved the goals we set out to achieve in this little island of Manhattan and we can only conquer our next by leaving. I firmly believe there is still greatness for us to achieve. The trip is less about finding something that is missing and more about seeking knowledge that can only be gained through experience. It's about a desire to remember every moment of every day. 

I have a monthly NYC metro card and over the past few years every time I swipe it I feel as if I am one day closer to expiration. Now when I swipe it feels like a count down to when I get to start living. Oct 1 our lease ends and Sep 30 we drive out of the city that never sleeps.

Oct road trip to California // Nov Georgia // Dec Cleveland // Jan - Mar Hawaii // Mar - Sep Southeast Asia // Sep - Oct Nepal & India

Then we will see where the wind takes us. Wherever it takes us... I know I will always have our family. Thank you for all the love and support and joy over the years.

Jenny // Adam

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