In for a penny, in for a pound

Editor’s Note: In the age of social networking, “meeting” people often means finding them on Facebook, Twitter or somewhere in the blogoshpere. That’s how we “met” Mary. She commented on one of our earliest posts and we checked out (and loved) her website, SimplyForties.  We read her story about making a dramatic life change in her early 40’s and were intrigued. Imagine wanting to do something major, making the decision to do it and then just doing it, all within the span of a month? That’s just what Mary did…

Four or five years ago I started down the path to a different sort of life. I had a nice house, a good job, lots of friends and an active social life. In spite of all that, I realized I was just coasting along, no longer leading the life I wanted. I started reading, watching, listening and being open to change and the conscious lifestyle movement resonated with me.

After thirty-one years in my small west Texas town I found myself beginning to mentally and emotionally detach from what had ceased to be a fulfilling life. This shift left me feeling like I was waiting for something, I just didn’t know what.

The famous quote by Gandhi, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, began to have a whole new meaning for me. I realized that if I wanted to lead a more basic, thoughtful life, I was going to have to stop waiting and take action. I started volunteering locally and making contributions globally. I turned some of my flower beds into vegetable gardens and got some backyard chickens. That helped but I was still leading pretty much the same life.

I began to think about where I would choose to be if I could be anywhere. What I came up with was a little cabin, a few chickens and a garden; in other words, a much simpler lifestyle. I put that out there and things started to get a little weird!

I stumbled across an article on a blog I’d never seen before. The article was about a small farm in southwestern Virginia, which the author had purchased but was not ready to occupy. He was looking for a caretaker. On a whim I sent him an email. He received dozens of applications but, after discovering and reading my blog and realizing we were on the same path, offered me the position.

“In for a penny, in for a pound”, I thought so I put my house on the market and made arrangements to sell the bulk of my possessions. In spite of the soft market I sold my house in three days for above my asking price. Within a month of having read that blog post, I was on the farm, leading a very different lifestyle!

I’ve been on the farm for six months now, with three more months to go before the owner arrives and I am in the wind. Although my income and my social circle has greatly decreased, thanks to technology I have been able to keep working and keep in touch with those of my friends who mean the most to me.

I’m learning a lot about myself since moving to the farm. I am confident that I will be fine wherever I go; that I will be up to the challenges that face me. I miss having people I can call to meet for lunch or catch a move or go for a drink but there are nice, friendly people everywhere and I’m learning to reach out a little more. I’ve learned that I value free time more than money. I used to dream of a windfall solving my problems. Now my needs are few and all I really care about is being able to pay my basic bills and hopefully put a little away. The main thing I’ve learned is to stop pushing and allow life to happen.

How does anything get done if you stop pushing? It’s not about doing nothing, it’s about deciding where to put your energies. I’m no longer striving for a better job, bigger house, newer car or a bigger bank account. I’m striving to be a better person. That’s hard work. I figure if I can get that one down, the rest will take care of itself!

I don’t know what is going to happen next but I know that it will be the right thing and I’m facing it with a feeling of happy anticipation!

We can learn a lot from Mary about stepping out and into something even when you’re not completely sure of the how and the what. What’s something you’ve really wanted to do but haven’t done yet? What’s stopping you? Share your thoughts in the comment section or on our Facebook Fan Page.

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Mary (pictured above) is a 48-year old single mother of a college-aged son who is navigating her way through midlife and documenting it at http://www.simplyforties.com, where she writes about personal finance, relationships, grown children, the environment and social responsibility. She is on an adventure caretaking a small farm in southwestern Virginia and looking forward to whatever life has to offer!