Tiny House

We've had one or two people over the course of our lives who wonder about our house and our furniture and have held the assumption that everything is scaled down according to our size. When our current house was being built fifteen years ago there was one particular lady who was almost squeeing with delight at the thought of EVERYTHING being scaled down - not just the lower benches, light switches, door handles, a walk in shower with lower taps and a clothesline that had been sunk into the ground a little more so we could reach it - but all our furniture as well. She imagined us sleeping in smaller, shorter beds, sitting at a table and chairs built for children and on a lounge that was lower to the ground. I wonder if she imagined that the ceiling would also be lower? I never asked...

This couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, our home does have lower benches, door handles etc, but that's where it stops. Come into our home and the average statured person would be quite comfortable with the furniture. Washing the dishes? Maybe not. We've had taller-than-average friends actually choose to sit on a stool if they offer to do the dishes for us. There are times where we muse about having a Japanese-style table where we sit on cushions...mainly because this is how we are most comfortable, and I love that style!

But oh my goodness! I would LOVE to have a TINY HOUSE! Not because I am short, but because I dearly crave a minimalist lifestyle! To only have enough room for the absolute essentials would be a dream, and would encourage living mindfully and meaningfully without the excess clutter and possessions that we really don't need.

And on wheels too! Perfect for being a nomad in comfort!

For those who want to put down some roots.

Ok...so maybe it's not very accessible for those who have mobility issues...hmmm....

Images taken from here. 

I've been thinking a lot about this lately as my partner and I are on the verge of moving into a smaller place so I have been starting to sort through our possessions and divide them into those things that can stay in the "family home" and those that can come with us. I am learning to let things go. I even have a large, plastic storage box that contains baby clothes from when the kids were little and have decided to donate them to The Salvation Army. I've only kept them for sentimental reasons and realised that all the box is doing is taking up space...so I'd rather give them to someone who could use them.

It's going to be hard letting them go though!

Isn't it incredible, the amount of "stuff" we all accumulate over a lifetime? Why do we do it and why can it be so hard to let it go sometimes? I find that when I do declutter, simplify and let go it's like a weight gets lifted from my shoulders and I begin thinking clearly. I can actually do more with less!

So yes, my dream is to have a Tiny House. Not just for the cute factor, but to help me become mindful of the simple things I need to have the simple life I dearly long for.