5/31/21
The day after the check cleared from selling the sailboat, I put every cent of the proceeds into gold. The return on investment is significant. Plus I’m saving an ungodly amount of money from not buying all the upgrades and maintenance supplies that were planned for the near future. Not to mention a big boost in free time, both physical time free from working on the boat and mental time daydreaming about sailing and projects. Considering all this, I surprised myself by driving to the marina to sit and stare at an empty slip, where Ventana used to wait patiently for me..
The more I sell, give away or throw away just increases the amount of freedom I feel. Time goes by more and more slowly. Opportunities are increasing, decisions are easier. There’s no pressure to commit, to say yes or no. I value the choices, think about them, and find myself thinking “not yet” or “not today”, but soon I’ll be ready. In the meantime I value those around me, and the quiet moments of solitude. It’s easy to get away for some peace these days, even on a memorial day weekend. Lots of sun, lots of quiet time at the beach.
After the Rain 
It can be difficult not to accumulate “things”. They’re anchors of sorts. But relationships can be that way too. To some degree, they’re inescapable if you don’t want to live as an ascetic monk. So I’ve been through a couple of downsizes as well. One was… epic. Still, things accumulate. These days, I’m just a little more careful about the dust.
Also… If you’re not into reading SEC 10-K filings or trading commodities on margin, consider some platinum for diversification. Maple Leafs are relatively low premium and easy to *sell* when the time comes… and it always does. 😉
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What kind of downsizes? I’m pretty comfortable with myself so I never feel lonely even in solitude. I’m no monk though, I like snuggles too much!
For now I like ETFs because how liquid they are and for now I’m just interested in speculating on price. But I’ll check out your recommendations, I think it would be fun to build a tiny treasure chest, swallow the premiums and fill it with real gold, silver, gems, etc.
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Aha! You sound like a day trader. That’ll put some hair on your assets.
Northern Thailand for a few years, in a one room cottage with a communal, outdoor kitchen. That was my “decompression” from a decade of graduate work and mining government contracts in Seattle. Treasure chests are best filled with things you actually want. 😉
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Well…for the sake of the world, don’t buy up established art masterpieces and then lock them away in a vault, far from the eyes of a public hungry for such works.
Yeah, that was out of left field. I like real estate…a volatile thing.
It must be a wistful feeling; no more washing, scraping, polishing, painting, repairing, and yet, no more “Think I’ll go for a little sunset sail.”
Whatever is next, I wish you fair winds an following seas.
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Don’t worry buying hard assets doesn’t match up with the whole minimalism thing I’m going through.
A little sunset sail sure sounds nice though.
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We are slaves to our things. It’s what good Americans do. I tried to downsize once. Husband was not down with it.
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I’ve been releasing a bunch of my family’s stuff. It was really hard at first for me to let go because I felt I was the steward of memories/past/relics, but it’s gotten a bit easier over time. I like the freedom of releasing what held me back. Do you miss your sailboat?
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Hi, I’ve let go of most everything tangible from the past. I still hang on to photos though, and I have a hard time letting go of some of my son’s old toys. Guess I’m still a work in progress 😊.
Selling the boat was a massive release, but I’m starting to go a little crazy without it. Not sure how I’m supposed to sail across the Pacific without a boat.
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Baby steps is all I can think of…one step at a time and eventually you’ll sail across the Pacific! Allow what is supposed to come to you, to arrive and embrace the opportunities that come easily with grace and understanding that the Universe is helping to put your plan into place.
I’m sorry. That just wrote itself, but it came from within, that Knowing part of me. I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds…but all is good time…we are all still works in progress. 🙂
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Good advice, and you’re not overstepping your bounds – I welcome your insight. I like the Knowing part.
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Thank you. The Knowing has been increasing for some time now and it’s been really interesting for me. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
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