I could use a little reassurance that we’re doing the right thing. Today, my wife and I took a major step toward downsizing our lives by officially listing our 29-acre ranch in Northern California for sale. I’m not necessarily sad, but I am feeling quite nervous about the future. Since we don’t yet know when it will sell or what the final price will be, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern regarding where we’ll go next.

To give you some background, we bought this property five years ago, right next door to my brother-in-law. At the time, I had a very romanticized view of country living. Even though I’m in my 60s and stay very fit, the constant physical demands of maintaining this much land have become more of a burden than a joy. Whether it’s clearing brush for fire safety, fixing endless miles of fencing, or simply managing the logistics of such a massive footprint, it feels like the ranch has started to own us rather than the other way around. There’s also a lot of hidden costs that are making it financially difficult to support especially into retirement

We’ve realized that we want our next chapter to be defined by freedom and travel, not by a never-ending "to-do" list of manual labor. Still, seeing the listing go live makes everything feel incredibly real—and a little bit daunting. It’s hard to let go of a dream, even when you know it’s the practical choice for your long-term happiness.

I used to think success was mostly about achieving more and reaching bigger goals.

As I get older I’ve started to think success can also mean having peace of mind good health meaningful relationships and the freedom to enjoy everyday life

Has your definition of success changed as you got older?

Tonight we had a peaceful dinner on our back deck listening to the birds and watching the deer steal peaches from our tree. We recently moved back to a more rural area from a city and I’m reminded of how happy the beauty and simplicity of nature being outside my door makes me.

How do you guys manage to make it your "permanent" lifestyle and not just an occasional intentional time-spending? I always fail to do so

For context i had a busy day and so napped from 5-7pm. Im now not really sure how to spend the rest of my time

(This happened yesterday, but im curious about advice for rhe future)

It all started at the beginning of winter. One day, a street cat appeared in my backyard. She just sat there, quietly looking at me and occasionally letting out a soft little meow. I decided to give her some milk. At first, we were both a little scared of each other. But she kept coming back every day, usually around the same time, and sometimes even late at night. I decided to call her Mao. She would always greet me with her soft meows while I brought her milk. I wanted to pet her, but I was honestly a little scared, so instead I started trying to earn her trust. Every day I'd sit a little closer while she drank. Eventually I worked up the courage to gently pet her.

She liked it!

That tiny moment made me really happy. After that, it became our little routine. I'd sit beside her while she drank her milk, and one day, completely out of nowhere, she climbed onto my lap and just sat there. I can't really describe how happy I felt. I've bought myself things I wanted, played games I love, and had plenty of fun moments in life, but that feeling was different. It was simple, quiet, and somehow more meaningful.

Mao was the first cat in my life, and she's the reason I fell in love with cats. About a year passed, and we grew closer. Then one day she stopped coming. A few weeks later, my neighbor told me she had passed away.

It broke my heart.

That was about two years ago. A few weeks after Mao was gone, another little cat showed up in my backyard. She was tiny and terrified of me. Then an orange cat started visiting. Then another. Over the following year, I met quite a few different cats. Sometimes it almost felt like Mao was saying hello in different forms. Whether that's true or not doesn't really matter. She taught me to appreciate small moments that I probably would have overlooked before. Sitting quietly with a cat, hearing a soft meow, those little things ended up bringing me more happiness than I ever expected. Thanks for reading (⁠^⁠^⁠)

I’m curious about the mental side of simple living. Sometimes it feels like the hardest part isn’t decluttering or spending less, but letting go of the idea that we always need more.
What belief, realisation, or mindset shift helped you feel genuinely content with a simpler life?

I’ve read a few books on owning less things. A few have been helpful to my journey when it comes to wrestling with attachments and comparisons.

The Art of Not Giving A Fuck
100 Thing Challenge
Less Is Best

What books helped your journey?

It's thinking about money all day.

Running numbers in your head.

Replaying old decisions.

Worrying about future ones.

After enough time, the mind gets tired long before the body does.

For the longest time, I'd tell myself I'd start eating better next Monday, next month, or after some event. Eventually, I realized I was spending more time planning than actually doing.

Now I just try to make one better choice than yesterday. It's not perfect, but it feels much more sustainable.

Has anyone else had to let go of the "I'll start on Monday" mindset?

I know it's just a basil plant, but seeing new leaves grow still makes me happy.

A few weeks ago it was just a small seedling. Now every time I check it, there is a little bit of new growth.

There is something comforting about taking care of something and watching it slowly change.

No notifications.

No achievements.

No pressure.

Just a quiet reminder that some things are worth waiting for.

What simple things make you happy lately?

I have severe CPTSD from multiple incidents. I was always bullied in school. I killed myself studying every second of my life to get into medical school. I got in. Was bullied in medical school because I am introverted and people can sense my vulnerability. Passed medical school. Started job as a doctor, severe bullying there too. I failed foundation training but managed to pass eventually. Failed to get into higher speciality/GP training. I can’t take the stress anymore. I don’t want to be rich I just want some pets and to exercise. I feel like taking a retail or health care assistant job. But everyone says I’m crazy because I’m a doctor. But I can’t get a job as a doctor. I tried doctor functional assessor did the 6 weeks training and got fired from that recently, that was 72k salary. They fired me for one minor easily fixable error in the role play training. There’s a few Locums I do but it’s not enough there’s only two shifts this month. I’m applying for UC.

I haven’t got a formal CPTSD diagnosis by my psychiatrist supervisor on my psych rotation suggested that’s what I had based on my behaviour and how I was running away etc and also because of the history I gave him like he ended up asking me everything

Currently reading a book about a couple who test out a life without electricity and modern technology, and this quote was a bit of an eye opener for me and I wanted to share it...

"And this explained not only why time moved more slowly but also why we had more of it, why we were able to relax and read the way we were doing right now: in the absence of fast-paced gizmos, ringing phones, alarm clocks, television, radios, and cars, we could simply take our time. In being slower, time is more capacious. The event is only in the moment. By speeding through life with technology, you reduce what any given moment can hold. By slowing down, you expand it." - Better off, by Eric Brende

I'd never really thought before about how each new step in technology literally changed how much a human could fit into every waking moment of their life. Even things like the invention of the typewriter and then keyboard, people could write quicker than they ever could by hand. The domestication of horses, then bikes and cars let people move faster. Stoves, microwaves, and air fryers let people cook quicker than on fires and they could multitask while cooking too.

Before all of this technology life must have been very hard and exhausting but I bet time did pass more slowly for people as doing more simply wasn't an option! :)

Hello, I’m new here and this is honestly my favourite subreddit so far.

Sorry if this was all over subreddit, but long story short I was born a natural “archiver,” a curiosity-driven ADHD person (my mom and grandma are the same way). Since I was a kid I was restless, obsessed over everything, and got whatever I wanted scholarships, grades, activism, competitions, you name it always chasing the next dopamine hit. It got to a point in middle school where I was genuinely scared of nirvana (I went to a Buddhist school) and of not being reincarnated, because I was terrified of being “still.” I used to cry at night, scared I wouldn’t be born again.

That made it hard for me to commit to anything or form deep bonds with people, since I was always juggling a dozen things whenever I got bored, or chasing dopamine-spike nights instead.

Then a few years ago, I got lucky I met my best friend, who later became my girlfriend, along with others who genuinely liked me, and we stayed close for 3 years. Those were years I’d never experienced before. I felt grounded. I didn’t want to archive anything. I just wanted to wake up, live slowly, see her, and build a stable career completely disappear from the constant chasing. I was planning to also become a monk for 5 months and learn more about Buddhism.

But things didn’t go well. Her family couldn’t accept me for religious reasons, and somehow she got heartbroken and spread misinformation about me to my friends, which led my entire friend group to ghost me.

I was really hurt, and there wasn’t much I could do except block and move on. I’m still coping, and I’ve found myself falling back into my old “archiver” roots wanting to collect and do more, feeling restless again. Even though I know I’ll never be as happy as I was when I had genuine friends, I’m tired of making new ones to the point that i dont feel like going out anymore even i used to be so extrovert and lively. I want to be alone, study, read, and stay curious. I’ve made more than 4 projects in the past month between coding, art, physics research, and other things, and I’m thinking about going back to school and being competitive again partly because people keep telling me I’m wasting my potential, and I feel like doing that again would make me feel worthy again.

Even i could have just get a decent normal job ( im planning to do nurse next year and ill be 24 jst for the context) spend more time with mom and my dog. Have good work life balance and comfy place to stay.

What should I do to feel more grounded? It’s been hard for me since the very start.

I used to feel totally worn out after work. Cleaning was the last thing I wanted to do. My apartment would gradually get messier and somehow the mess always made me feel even more drained. It was like a frustrating cycle.

A friend once told me to think of cleaning as an "energy reset" instead of another chore. I didn't really believe it at first, but I started spending less than half an hour every evening putting things away and wiping down the counters. Surprisingly, it helped. Waking up to a reasonably tidy space put me in a better headspace than I expected.

Now I'm thinking about how to make this routine more sustainable. I don't mind spending a few minutes keeping things in order, but I'd rather not spend my evenings vacuuming, mopping or something else. I'd much rather use that time for yoga, reading, or just relaxing.

Have you found simple systems or tools that make daily life easier? A few friends have gone the robot vacuum route, mostly Roborock or Ecovacs, and it got me thinking about whether investing in things that save time is worth it.

Everyone's calendar is packed but almost nobody has an actual story from their week. We've confused being occupied with actually living. Curious if others feel this gap too.

so I do go out time to time, and I go to this spot, the scenery just give me this peace and calm. thought to just share.

I posted this in r/fencesitter, a sub for people who are indecisive about having children (CF = childfree). I'm hoping some people here might also be able to provide feedback from their experiences.

Thank you 🤍

El salir a la playa es Gratis, simple y sencillamente terapéutico. Bendecidos de este paraíso. 🤩🇵🇷

I've been thinking about this a lot lately cause it feels like no matter what I've got theres always this voice saying maybe you need more or maybe you should change something. So I've been trying to pay more attention to the regular stuff like quiet evenings walks cooking a meal that takes a bit longer hanging out with people I actually care about. And Im starting to think simple living isnt about giving everything up. Maybe its less about what you dont have and more about realizing what you already have is actually fine. I dont have it figured out honestly but Im curious how other people think about this in a practical way not some big philosophy. What does enough look like in your day to day life?

Maybe this is just me, but I’ve noticed I still feel weirdly guilty when I have a day where I don’t really do anything.

Like, I can have a perfectly nice Saturday - sleep in a bit, make coffee, go for a walk, read, maybe cook something - and then by the evening there’s this little voice like “okay but what did you actually accomplish?” 😅

Which is annoying, because I don’t even think every day needs to be productive. I know rest is important. I know doing nothing major is not a moral failure lol. But knowing that and actually feeling okay with it are apparently two different things.

So question for those who’ve gotten better at this - how did you stop feeling bad about quiet, uneventful days? I think it’s even harder if you have that engraved in you since you were little - my mom would always call out unproductiveness if you just layed on the couch and did nothing for an afternoon… 😪

Four years ago I retired and moved from the US to a one-room casita in the mountains of Costa Rica. This is the view from my porch where I watch the sunrise every morning. There are so many birds my Merlin app can barely keep up: Toucans, parrots, Kiskadees, Oropendolas, dozens more. Bold hummingbirds fly right up to the hanging Fuchsias on the porch, even when I'm sitting right there. The average temperature is 73F year round, so no need for heat or AC. I eat simple food, go for long walks, and sleep well. Here in Costa Rica we call this life "Pura Vida."

Took a trip to San Diego recently and wow it was incredible. I was visiting a friend but she couldn’t be with me everyday, so I had days where it was just me, my camera, and nature. I really don’t like go go go travel as much anymore. I much prefer a slow morning and taking the day at my own pace. If I don’t see everything I set out to see, I make it a point to visit again someday. Anyone else feel the same? Wanted to show some straight out of the cam shots. San Diego will definitely be seeing me again!

Recently I..

Read by candlelight on our balcony

Had a great yoga session

Spent time with my bunnies

Cooked something I've never made before

Had great evening walks