Simplicity in Action: Tammy and CJ
Editor’s Note: This is a post in the series, Simplicity in Action. If you’d like to submit your story of how simplicity has worked in your life, please read more here. You can write about anything from decluttering a junk drawer to simplifying your diet. Let your small and big changes inspire others.
Tammy and CJ
We are not counselors or psychologists. We hold degrees in music and education and we are totally nuts about each other. Classroom teaching proved too bureaucratic and constraining for us, so we opened our own studio in 2005 where we teach guitar and language arts. Working for ourselves has not been easy by any standard, but the rewards are many and just keep coming. Since our escape from 9-5, 8-6, or 7-7, we have astonished ourselves with our capabilities.
We married in 1997. Our reception was an unforgettable bacchanal. We took our honeymoon to run inviolate around Arizona and then promptly settled into mediocrity. Crappy jobs, poor diet, no exercise and too many movie nights all contributed to our long fall from the South Rim and the wild fun that we, together, enjoyed so much.
From 1998 to 2006 both of us or one of us worked full-time in the public schools, plunging even further into the abyss. We found ourselves, in 2005 near the end of our careers as school teachers, overweight insomniacs, sick, tired and very angry. We were still getting all our props and had a lot of cred, replete with glowing teacher assessments and a bitchin’ resume. But we were like, We can pay the bills – so what. Most grave was Tam’s Levaquin poisoning of January 2006. Sown in Tam’s constant pain and CJ’s dismay at his inability to control the situation, the seeds of change began to grow.
Opening our studio was the tipping point for us. CJ, a classically trained guitarist, now has three hours to practice and revive his composing skills. Tammy is able to teach children to read, write, and master something other than a standardized test. Our office space is simple with few decorations. Instead of running around tending to all the oughts, musts, and shoulds presented us, we focus on guitar and instruction. At the age of 37, CJ fine-tuned his technique by studying with three classical musicians. Tammy earned her M.Ed. We are able to work from home in the morning and commute together, to and from “the office” where we put in four hours or less each day.
We continue to work on clearing our home and lives of clutter in all its forms.
Every day begins at 5:30 with a five-mile walk and at least an hour at a local coffee shop where we have mastered two-word books totaling 2,200 words for the fun of it, simplified and automated our finances, and started writing a book. The development and evolution of our daily habits has precluded the need to wish days away. The fear of waking only to find ourselves in yet another boredom-filled, mediocre day, terrified us sufficiently to shake up our routines and commit to fun. The Great Jollyhoombah is what we used to call the manic state leading up to a week off, but no more. Now every day is The Great Jollyhoombah. Why not?
Read more from Tammy and CJ at The Great Jollyhoombah.
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18 Responses to “Simplicity in Action: Tammy and CJ”
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Absolutely wonderful and inspiring story. Taking charge of your life in a way that allows you to contribute in your own, personalized way is very admirable.
Namaste,
Dan
So glad to see you here, Dan. It was a big shift, but we have never looked back. Namaste! -Tammy
“Instead of running around tending to all the oughts, musts, and shoulds presented us, we focus…” – wow, that is so well put! I rarely focus. Too busy with “oughts” that don’t really matter. Thanks for sharing your story, very inspiring!
Hello Jeff. It’s an ongoing process. We are never really “there.” As long as we keep moving forward, all is good! Thank you for taking time to stop in!
-Tammy
Simply inspirational! I love the balance that you have in your daily life and the fact that you have achieved a life of fun and growth instead of fear. Good luck with your journey and thanks for sharing this
Hi Claire! Thank you for such kind words. The growth mindset took us a bit longer to embrace than we would have liked, but it’s working swell now. Meeting people like you makes our journey that much more fun and meaningful. Thanks again!
Oh, just popped in to see Just a Little Mess and I am most intrigued about the Happy Curry Night. Anything with curry must be good, right? Must go back and read, and I love the sky photo for your new post which I will also return for a good read. -cj
i’ll bite, what is a two word book? i tried google and i came up with one word two words hyphenated. also a bunch of other stuff. thank you. billy
Hi Billy. I don’t think we were clear in explaining that. We love to learn new words, so we bought two separate word books – Norman Schur’s 1,000 Most Important Words and Robert Bly’s The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart. We are not sure they worked, but it sure is fun to say prestidigitation and legerdemain! Glad to “meet” you and hope you’re having a great weekend.
-Tammy
“Two word books” stopped me for a bit, too, Tammy!
So great to see you-guys ‘writing out’ – stretching wings is Good!
Karen J! I like that you and Billy are keeping me on my toes and demanding writing clarity. Great feedback and much appreciated.
We appreciate Courtney featuring our story and love to see you here. I am sure you have been here on Be More With Less, so I know I am not telling you anything new when I say she is getting it done!
Whoa!! stop the merry-go-round I want to get off. Congratulations and good for you Tammy & CJ
All the best
Jim
Hi Jim. So good to “meet” you! We are still very much works-in-progress, but now we are living lives that we love. We hope the same is true for you and would love to hear your story. Thank you for taking time to comment!
I love to hear your guys’ stories. I think it’s so important for people to see that it’s totally possible to reinvent your life without moving to Bali to do it. We need to see all the outside-the-box stories that we can.
Hey Shanna! It is interesting but not surprising that you picked up on that. We are very much unable to move to Bali, yet today we woke up in Houston (far from our favorite city in the world) scurried off on our walk and said, This is going to be a great day. Transforming our lives didn’t include moving or selling our house. We worked with what we had and, to our delight, it worked. Now, I am all for anyone who can make a go for it in Bali…
Always great to hear from you, Shanna.
Beautiful insight into the lives of an inspirational couple.
The more we get to know you, the more we grow to like you. We particularly enjoyed learning more about what lead you to lead the life you currently lead. You encountered some powerful motivational forces, which could have forced you in a positive or negative direction. I am so glad you chose the positive, and that we get to learn from it.
Thanks, Jess and Mark
So good to see you both here, Mark and Jess. We were so happy to find your blogs and the beauty therein. Thank you for stopping in. I’ve seen you here before and your message is very much in line with Courtney’s.
Here’s to remaining positive! Cheers!
Hi. Your story gives me inspiration! My husband has a degree in music and I have a degree in education! My husband recently left his steady teaching job to freelance on his own and I teach part time. Your story gives me hope for us! Good luck in your journey.
Kate
Good evening, Kate! I’m so glad our story resonated with you. What a similar situation you are in. Please send us an email if you ever have questions or want to share ideas. We would love to hear from you.