Again, with the thinking

It seemed like it was about time for one of my biannual retreats. This time, I rented a tiny house at the southernmost tip of Maryland, which looked over St. Mary's River.

Photo credit: From the hosts of the site

I've use these retreats to take stock of my life - usually to assess my goals or how I spend my time. The rules are no media (Internet, phone, music, podcasts), and minimal books and interaction with people. Although I was very strict on my first retreat about not talking to people, I'm finding that I it's not as critical now, since each retreat is a check-in on my last visit with my brain. I also try to spend a fair amount of time outside, as I can't just sit and think all day without a few breaks.

I knew that the forecast called for rain on Sunday, so I managed a four-mile hike and a three-mile kayak trip. It was my first solo kayak trip, but I had read quite a bit about what precautions to take when you are on your own. The most dangerous moment was when I questioned whether to bring my phone while packing. I didn't want to drop it into the briny deep. but luckily I brought it along as it turned out that I consulted it extensively to figure out where I was going. Those inlets all look alike!

The focus this weekend was money/work. I worked through much of the book "Your Money or Your Life" which is a classic from the 1990's that inspired many of the current FI (Financial Independence) writers. The book is a bit hippie and a bit sexist but also packed full of good ideas. I had already completed many of the "steps" it requires - I have tracked every expenditure since 2011, and know my "real hourly wage" (i.e. how much I make for each hour of work, after subtracting off the extra time and money for commuting, buying work clothes and lunches, etc.). I'm actually pretty okay with where my spending is.  I think my spending largely aligns with my values, and I save quite a bit.

I did realize that I don't like how many things I buy in my clothes/household/DIY category. I suspect that these things are not strictly necessary and the manufacturing of them eats up resources quickly. So I decided that through the end of 2019 I will not purchase anything new. Exceptions are consumables and gifts (other people shouldn't suffer for my crazy ideas). If possible, I will make or borrow what I need, but I'm fine buying used. On the drive home, I literally pulled into a parking lot before I realized that I wasn't allowed to buy anything in the store I had driven to, so I clearly have some re-learning to do.