Background: Moved to first military base a few weeks ago. First time living alone, first apartment. No friends. Deleted Facebook permanently before leaving home. No TV. Gaming computer broke before leaving home, and there is very limited internet access here. Oh, and no washer/dryer!
Now: The first weeks were hectic, but now everything is stable. Living without a computer, without internet (days at a time), and without social media has been a life changer. Here's how:
1) I try new things. All the time. Ex: Buying a bow and archery range membership. Visiting local parks. Finding the best bars and restaurants. Also, I cook food. Like a lot of food. So many different foods.
2) Getting a real social life back: I actively look for opportunities. Ex: Joining the on-base young officer club (weekly trivia nights!), volunteering for a Trunk or Treat with my local Catholic Church, asking coworkers what they're doing for lunch.
3) Every interaction you have with people are so much more meaningful. You strike up more conversations with strangers. You invest more into people. Hell, I'm an introvert, but I get so much true alone time I'm becoming more and more extroverted.
4) No washer/dryer means I have to wait almost 2 hours to wash my clothes at the apartment laundry mat. Shoot, guess I'll work out at the gym next to it. I have nothing better to do.
5) I call my family and old friends a lot more.
6) Increased appreciation for the little things. I planted a bonsai tree seed recently and flipped when I saw it growing. Also, I spare the one fruitfly in my house (he's a bro).
7) Lastly, I feel like I've had more dreams and been more creative overall. Once I buy a computer again, I got some ideas for a few books. Or maybe I'll learn Korean. Why not both? Already factored them into my daily schedule.
Don't want this to turn into r/madlads, but as a side note, I just decided to switch my iPhone 5S to a flip phone (and save 40$ a month while I'm at it).
TL;DR Simple living is different. I listed some pros!
Submitted October 24, 2017 at 03:57PM by Brewtenant http://ift.tt/2ixomnG
