Living Tiny

     Like so many others, I am obsessed with the tiny house movement.  The thought of not having to clean a big house appeals to me.  Living simply with fewer things sounds peaceful.  Keeping only what we need and use on a regular basis means no more junk filling the drawers and closets.  I dream of having a place for everything and keeping everything in its place.  I would love to have the courage to purge all the extra things we own, to keep only what we really love and need.

     I have lived in small spaces before.  The first house that I bought on my own was not considered a tiny house, but it was so much smaller than most homes.  There was just over 700 square feet of living space.  The house had one small closet, only one kitchen cabinet, and only one interior door (on the bathroom).  I learned all the secrets that are seen on tv for tiny house storage.  My living room couch doubled as storage space and a guest bed.  I used vertical storage so I was still able to display things that I loved...my stuffed bears, my photos, my baskets, and other objects that I thought I had to have.  Every space of my house was filled with stuff.

     When Jim and I got married, we bought a big, old house.  It had character and charm.  We began to fill it with stuff...all sorts of stuff.  Jim has a thing about tables, so we had several tables.  I have a thing about photos, so we had photos.  We both love books, Jim has his hats, I have bears and baskets.  We both love our kitchen gadgets.  I love holidays, so we have totes filled with holiday stuff (seriously, we have 5 Christmas trees and at least 4 nativity sets).  We filled that house with stuff.  When we moved, much of it went into storage.  That stuff is now out of storage (except for the holiday things) and in our house.  

     Finally, I am ready to start letting go of some of the things.  We aren't moving to a tiny house soon, but Jim's retirement plans involve the two of us in an RV, traveling the country. There won't be a lot of room for stuff in an RV.  My friend Deb has inspired me to start purging, keeping only the things that bring me joy.  I already keep a donation box in the house for clothing.  I need to branch out to other things besides clothing.  Do I really need to keep my stuffed bears?  Do they make me happy when I see them, or are they just part of the stuff that I don't need to have?  When school starts next week, my journey to live tiny begins.

     Living tiny won't mean that I am giving things up, it means that I will be keeping only the things that I love and truly need!