“Ugh.  I have so much stuff,” I said to my mother on the phone this morning.  She laughed.  “You have too much stuff?” she said.  “You have the least amount of stuff of any of us.”  “I know,” I said.  “And it’s still too much!”

When I first told my parents of my idea to sell my couch my father said, “Oh – so you’re going to get a new one?”  “No,” I said.  “Well what will you do for a couch?” he asked.  “I don’t really need one.  I don’t have a lot of visitors.  And I’ve got enough chairs.”  He just shook his head.  I think it’s hard for him to adjust to the fact that his “pride and joy” is becoming so unusual by his standards.  I like to think I’m expanding his horizons.  As it is, I’ve converted him to be a lover of craigslist.  I don’t know that my parents will ever host a couchsurfer, but hey – a little at a time.

So today I finally did it.  I cleared off my couch long enough to get a picture of it, then posted the ad on craigslist.  Wow, does that feel good!  I love getting rid of things.  I’ve dropped off things at the new consignment shop in town twice already and it’s only been open for two weeks.

But you know what made me laugh today?  The fact that I say I’m selling all my stuff to fund world travels.  Because honestly, I already have the money I’d need to take off.  One is not dependent on the other – but they are connected.  I’ve wanted to pare down for quite some time, but not until recently did I have a definitive plan and deadline.

“Plan?  Deadline?” you ask.  Well, kind of.  I’m moving to the John C. Campbell Folk School on July 30,2011.  So my goal is to be pared down by then.  I’m thinking of going to Italy for a few weeks before that, so I might move up my deadline.

After I finish my term at JCCFS, I have some ideas, but nothing definitive yet.  My plan is to head for warmer locales in the states for January, February, and maybe March.  Then head off to Italy for a spell.  Maybe tend to the grape vines, or lemon trees or something like that.  Once I get the hang of living simply in a place where life still has “modern amenities,” I’ll venture out to places a bit more out of my comfort zone.

So here’s to wishing there’s someone out there who wants my lovely pull out.  If so, refer them to this post🙂