The Crazy Six-Month Journey
It’s been a crazy six months since we made the decision to break away from traditional social norms. We have had so many ups and downs over the past three months, too many to mention. But having said that, the ups have outweighed the downs. (And trust me, there have been a few “down” moments that made us question if gravity had somehow gotten stronger.)
Focus on Self-Growth
As I mentioned in my previous report, we have been working on “self-growth” and nothing has changed these past few months. All you need to do is look at the latest book reviews and this will be confirmed. We continue to remind ourselves and reaffirm our goal: Lets kick the social norms expectations and start to live and enjoy the remaining time we have on this amazing planet. (Not to mention, we’re on a first-name basis with every self-help book author out there.)
The House is Sold!
The house is sold! Yes, this is done and dusted. We need to be out of our home of 20 years at the end of July. Kind of surreal, I must say. Where to now, I hear you ask? Well, in true “Irresponsible Adult” style, we have no place to go in August…yet. This is because we signed a lease that starts in September, we will be moving to a cottage in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, in an area known as Kamberg, very close to Rosetta. The views are spectacular, overlooking the Spring Grove Dam with the Drakensberg’s Giants Castle in the background. Peace and tranquillity is going to be the name of the game. Once we are there, we will be posting pictures of that, you can be assured. (And if you don’t see any posts, you’ll know we’ve become one with nature…or lost Wi-Fi.)
Furry Kids
One of our main challenges not yet mentioned is that we have three rescued Boston Terriers: Hero, who is about 10-11 years old, 
Callie, about 7-8 years old, 
and Pixie, 6-7 years old. 
These ages are estimates as we rescued them from different situations of neglect, abuse, or both. (Humans can be disgusting creatures!) We feel strongly that we have taken on the responsibility to care for them, and therefore, we have had to find a home that will accommodate our “furry kids.” It’s not so easy these days to find a pet-friendly home to rent—who knew finding a place where the landlords are cool with a few extra paws would be such a challenge?
The Packing Adventure
The house is 70% packed, and a word of advice to anyone planning a similar adventure (and I do hope there are some of you), or if you are just planning on downsizing: please start packing and decluttering well in advance. Take a bit of advice from us irresponsible adults. We started the journey in January with me selling off unwanted stuff—let me rephrase that, unused items. I started decluttering the garage while Dibs started with the kitchen at the same time. We then did the documents. Why we keep some of this crap, I will never know. Then photo albums—we had a good laugh and some tears and then more laughs. But really, how many photos of a Grade 1 first day of school does one family need? (Answer: apparently, enough to open a museum.)
Lessons Learned
Having done these things long before the house was sold has given us ample time to sort, wrap, and pack what we want and need. So much so that some items I know we will never unwrap in our lifetime and probably no one ever will. Well, maybe only our children will get to do this when we leave the planet. So I have made notes and given a bit of history on the items where history is needed. “Man”, this was a very empowering experience. Not sure why—maybe the act of knowing that our legacy has been written, labelled, and wrapped in a box. The sense of knowing we will not be forgotten, even if only for a generation or two.
Business Ventures
I have also had a written offer on the business and don’t want to say any more so as not to put any jinxes on it. Fingers crossed!
Our online business is starting to gain momentum, with income starting to be generated in $$$ which is awesome. Our social media platforms, namely Facebook and Instagram, are also gaining traction as we navigate and learn the “backend” of how to use these social media platforms to our benefit. (Who knew hashtags could be so powerful?)
The Halfway Point
At the halfway point to our planned 12-month journey of breaking free from societal norms, we are amazed and kind of overwhelmed at how much we have achieved. It’s very scary yet so exciting. Who knows what adventure awaits? We may find ourselves in a tent at Rocky Bay next month—who knows? Be sure to follow us on either Facebook or Instagram to see what happens next. Until the next report, be safe. (And remember, if you can’t find us, we’re probably still packing!)