Facebook – there, not there

Back in January of 2017, I gave away most everything I owned and set out on a “two-suitcase life,” all because of Facebook. (You can read the full story here.) I even reconsidered whether or not should still do the Interactive Deep Dive. It met the criteria of my two-suitcase life–helping others who are striving to make the world better–so it stayed on the calendar.

Later that year, there I was in Austin, Texas directing the Interactive Deep Dive, working with a small team of talented and passionate artists for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It was hard work, even more challenging than I expected. I needed to be at my very best every day, but the fact was, I wasn’t.

The road begins…

It’s 6:00 a.m. on July 15. In a couple of hours I’ll be on the road that takes me to destinations planned, with journeys yet unknown.

There is something peaceful about looking at my two suitcases in the corner and knowing that all that I have is contained within them, and at the same time to know that all they contain is just “stuff,” and all that I really have is found within the kind, generous, and loving people people who have helped make this journey possible.

I feel that wistful lump that rises my throat when leaving places and people that have filled my life with experiences of growth, challenge, play, and joy.

My heart is full. The road lies ahead. Onward…

The Giveaway

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getting ready

If everything I own is going to fit into 2 suitcases, that means I’m going to have to give away a lot of my stuff… a lot!

It’s been an interesting process to inventory everything I own, stick it in banker’s boxes, and decide what is absolutely essential to keep.

The first thing I realized was that my 2 suitcases have to hold more than just my clothes. There’s also office supplies, and toiletries, and technology. It took about a week, but I finally pared down my non-clothing items to the very minimum of what I need to keep, and it all fit into just 4 small shoeboxes. I put the shoeboxes into a suitcase. Nope! It took up too much space. It was then that I discovered that even my “minimum” could be pared back. Now I’m down to two shoeboxes. Much better. But the more interesting challenge was yet to come.

How it began…

What would life be like if all that you owned fit inside two suitcases?

Once upon a time, in a land very much like our own, a man assumed the highest office of the land. The people of this land, from left, from the right, and from places people didn’t realize even existed, were ranting and railing, calling each other names, and pointing accusatory fingers, all convinced that the others were the enemy. It shook me in a way I hadn’t been shaken before. I knew that I couldn’t continue to live in this new world in my old ways. But what to do?