Chasing Utopia, Family Imagines No Possessions
AUSTIN, Tex. — Like many other young couples, Aimee and Jeff Harris spent the first years of their marriage eagerly accumulating stuff: cars, furniture, clothes, appliances and, after a son and a daughter came along, toys, toys, toys.
Now they are trying to get rid of it all, down to their fancy wedding bands. Chasing a utopian vision of a self-sustaining life on the land as partisans of a movement some call voluntary simplicity, they are donating virtually all their possessions to charity and hitting the road at the end of May.
“It’s amazing the amount of things a family can acquire,” said Mrs. Harris, 28, attributing their good life to “the ridiculous amount of money” her husband earned as a computer network engineer in this early Wi-Fi mecca.
The Harrises now hope to end up as organic homesteaders in Vermont.
“We’re not attached to any outcome,” said Mrs. Harris, a would-be doctor before dropping out of college, who grew up poverty-stricken in a family that traces its lineage back through the Delanos and President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a Mayflower settler, Isaac Allerton.
Mr. Harris, 30, who dropped out of high school and “rode the Internet wave,” agreed, saying they were “letting the universe take us for a ride.”
They are not alone.
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2 comments:
Hi, nice blog and such,seems like you have a good thing going. I'm a transplant Mass. boy living in Gig Harbor,WA and linked over from Cage Free. Been thinking about coming back for awhile now and shedding 52 years worth of "stuff" and appreciated your comments on required items to homestead. While in the Navy I had a girl up in St.Albans who went to Johnson St., used to hitchhike up from Groton. I've looked at Southern Vt. for property as my big sis lives in Gardner,MA. Bennington seems liberal enough for me but things are spendy. Any suggestions about S.Vermont? BTW, did several half triathalons in the early 90's, I was in shape(diver/rigger at Naval shipyard)but I damned near died! Look back with pride though, finished mid pack. Anyhow, wanted to say hello...Good luck with your farm.
PS: proud of that washboard are ya?
Put a shirt in for chrissakes...
Later, Kevin
I loves me some Orvis and Northshire Bookstore, but I really like having a bunch of mountains between me and the Manchester/Bennington scene. "Spendy" is a nice understatement for a bunch of southwestern Vermont, too (unless you can get land in unpopulated towns, like Glastonbury or Somerset -- and I don't think you can).
All depends on what you want. Just for land, I'd look around northern and eastern Windham, near Townshend, Jamaica, Weston, Newfane and Bondville.
Yikes. I haven't done Naval diving and rigging. But come to think of it, I haven't done much in the way of triathlon training between a rebuilt shoulder, rehab and spring planting. So I think I'd better keep my shirt on until I flog myself back into shape.
Thanks for the good wishes!
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