Been There, Done That

...and it's pretty great! I'm talking about downsizing in a drastic way.

Has anyone seen this story and video about people creating incredibly tiny homes? It's about downsizing to the extreme and the benefits these folks enjoy: no mortgage, the ability to leave jobs that no longer hold appeal, freedom to make a home just about anywhere. Check it out. I applaud their creativity and courage! Beyond the benefits they've already realized, they're about to discover a lot about themselves.

My husband and I did something similar, though with a different motive. While we didn't save the money these folks in the news story did, we did reap some very different---and unexpected---rewards.

Here's our story in a nutshell. We bought a piece of land, plopped a travel trailer on it, put our things in storage, and moved into our new home-sweet-home. Our idea was to sacrifice one year of living in comfort while putting our money into the new home we planned to build.

So we camped in style, in four tiny rooms with lots of views and fresh air. All the money we saved on living the usual life went right into the house project; every paycheck was gone before it reached our hands. We built a little shed for doing laundry. It also was an extra closet, the pantry, and a tool shed, besides holding other odds and ends. Really, we did have all the comforts we needed.

Ten years later, we moved into our new home.

Things hadn't gone as planned. We ended up building our home pretty much ourselves. What a learning experience---whew! Now that we're living in it, we're even more delighted than we had imagined. The reward is infinitely sweeter for all our effort!

Here's just some of what I learned in the process:

I can do without just about any "thing." When planning what to keep out for life in a teensy place, I needed to keep it to a bare minimum because there simply was no space. But after doing without for so long, I learned I wasn't really "doing without." Now that we've been in our new home for a few months, I find I'm in no hurry to bring anything from storage unless it's absolutely necessary. For now, I'm happy with just the sofa and a couple chairs. Besides, how many plates and chairs and knick-knacks do we need? Unless something serves a function nothing else can or unless it simply pleases us to see it, I really don't want to fill our space just because it's customary to do so.

Shedding "weight" feels better than good. Carrying the last point a bit further... By not filling our house with unnecessary things, we can look beyond the walls to the countryside. We see Nature from every view, without much to distract us. She is our primary artist-in-residence and we love that!

Nature continually reminds me of my place in the world, reminding me of what's really important, which is who I am in relationship to everyone else and everything else. Without focusing on acquiring and keeping things, we're free to spend our time and energy on what is most meaningful to us. A bonus of having clean visual space is that I can see Nature more clearly and that keeps me grounded and in my place.

I smell the roses even more than I did before. I've always been an observer, yet after living so close to the bone and so intimately with Nature, my sense of the world around me has broadened and become even sharper. I treasure that! Life has become much more vivid and vibrant. I now feel more like I did as a kid, happily discovering something new each day. What fun!

I can do things I never dreamed.

• I learned that my things don't define me. I can now let go much more easily.
• I learned to ration water while camping. I became more aware of my global footprint and this spurred me to carefully monitor my daily activities. "Sacrificing" is no longer a sacrifice.
• I learned that rationalizing a want vs. need wasn't an option. I still do this, because it eliminates a lot of emotional tugs-of-war and unnecessary financial burdens.
• I learned to help my husband more. I am a happier person when seeking more ways to help.
  
• I learned that if I can conquer my claustrophobia (I'm not quite finished with this one), I can probably overcome most things that hinder me.
• I learned to adapt. There really is no other rational option. Going with the flow ensures I can keep my sanity!

Most of all, I learned that life is a series of changes. Options are continually paraded in front of us, each moment holding a new gift. To-do lists became very flexible. I learned to wait with grace for my goals, enabling me to enjoy the individual moments more.

Sometimes letting go is the surefire way to getting exactly what you want.

Now, I finally feel like I can be and do and have anything I want, that I can do new things safely. The "tiny-house people" will learn some of these things, too. I applaud them and wish them well!