We Keep What is Useful
Dear Dungarees,
Multi-generational living is not how we started out but it’s how we want to finish.
A few days after FIne Farmer and I got married in California we moved to Montana. I still remember gathering around our friends and family crying as we said, “Love you big, big!” and “See you later!” (never goodbye because my mom-in-law says so and I love her perspective). But it was time. Time for a change of scenery and new adventures.
My parents led the way in our unruly caravan (nearly 25 years ago now) and we, the unprepared young married couple, followed into what was the worst winter Montana had seen in 50 years. We survived it. Armed with good company, a lightweight Quicksilver hoody, and some pluck. We were SO unprepared. We exchanged the Quicksilver hoody about 5 minutes into that first winter for something much more Montana-appropriate. We keep what is useful.
How incredible is this life? We step onto the path we have chosen, armed with the items we think will be truly useful, and proceed. Some proceed with caution, others with reckless abandon. My mom and I tend to fall into the latter group while my husband and dad are the presidents of the former. We are all incredible in the way we choose to travel and those first steps down any new life path feel almost sacred. Do you remember them? Those moments that sparkle in the shadow of our memories like so much gold. The breath of new adventure tickles our very souls, exhausting our bodies but whispering refreshing to our spirits. The wedding, the travels to new lands, the babies, the house, the adoption, the new friendship, the new farm. All of it sparkles. And as we travel, we find some things aren’t serving a purpose and we pass those items along. We keep what is useful.
Listen, I get it. Multi-gen living, it’s different. It’s not for everyone. And we are not suggesting it is. Some find the idea nauseating while others find it magical. Whichever camp you rest in we love you. We treasure our relationship with you. My parents, Fine Farmer, and I all realized at the same time we wanted to simplify. For us, this season of simplicity looks like a smaller house, with endless property potential, living in a community with family.
From our first journey up I-5 in 1996 to now. Caravanning once again, but this time into multi-generational living. Still in good company, still plenty of pluck, and this time we have the appropriate clothing for whatever this life chooses to toss at us. As we officially move onto the farm this week we now have a pole barn filled with 2 families’ convergence of stuff and we plan on only keeping what is useful.
P.S. In the spirit of simplicity, we will be having a large garage sale post haste. Details to follow.
