As I sit at my computer, the sun pouring though the windows and a gentle breeze wafting through WeeHavyn, I can’t help but reflect on the winding path that led me to simplify. The process was not always pleasant, but the freedom and richness it has brought to my life has been worth it. Of course this happened in several stages and the first one was sheer terror and resistance.
I am a child of the ‘80’s. I spent my formative teenage years in a period of time where almost every image of success was that of someone who could afford the finer things in life. Conspicuous Consumption was King. Yet, I grew up on a small ranch that was homesteaded by my great-grandfather. My family came from simple beginnings and we were taught about self-sufficiency and thrift. It was a stark contrast. Of course, as a teenager and a young twenty-something, I rejected my humbler roots and strove to attain the glittering idol of “having it all”.
Time slips away, ever speeding its pace as we get older. I found myself a thirty-something with a typical American life – lots of stuff, lots of payments, and a not-so-great job. As I walked the treadmill of my existence, I couldn’t help thinking I was missing some essential truth. This couldn’t be all there was. Little did I know that Fate was going to show me another way.
Sometimes opportunity knocks politely on the door and sometimes it kicks it down and punches you in the face. We found ourselves having to move 1300 miles and only being able to take what would fit in a four-horse trailer – with the horse in it. Panic raised its ugly head. How could I get rid of everything I’d worked for? What would people think of us in our new home when we showed up there with so little? How would they know we were worthwhile and not just some hard luck drifters, flitting from here to there and never making a go of anything? Friends and family were no help either. Reactions ranged from absolute denial that we were going to do this (my parents didn’t believe it until we actually loaded up the horse trailer) to kindly offers of ‘temporary’ storage for all the stuff we couldn’t take.
We girded our loins and began the complicated process of extricating ourselves from our possessions. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth at first. Yet with each thing gone, our load got a little lighter. Our payments disappeared one by one. Slowly we began to see that we didn’t own those things, they owned us. We had been spending our precious time working to pay for and maintaining them without ever stopping to decide if that’s what we really wanted. We were ready to take the next step… Letting Go.
- Hanging On – Steps to Simplifying Part 1
- Letting Go – Steps to Simplifying Part 2
- Even Less – Steps to Simplifying Part 3
- Walking the Path – Steps to Simplifying Part 4
Latest posts by Sherry Willis (see all)
- Walking the Path – Steps to Simplifying Part 4 - February 10, 2013
- Even Less – Steps to Simplifying Part 3 - February 2, 2013
- Letting Go – Steps to Simplifying Part 2 - January 26, 2013
I hopped over to your site and was delighted to read everything there. I just have to quote you here: “Our time out in the woods made me realize that living sustainably does not mean carving a homestead out of the little wilderness left to us. Rather, it is living within your means wherever you are.”
So great! I look forward to reading more from you.
Hi Jessica,
Thanks so much! There’s so much one can do right where they are. The problem with waiting for the ‘perfect’ time to make changes is that it may never come.
Sherry
I’m excited to see a small home ( >200 squ ft) person as a new writer on this blog. As much as I enjoyed your actual article, I loved reading the biography.
As a materialistic child myself, I look forward to your next installment.
Hi Carolyn,
I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I was a little afraid I wouldn’t be a good “fit” for this board since I don’t actually have a tiny house. Thank you for easing my mind on that point.
Sherry
Hi Sherry, :D
I’ve become a minimalist semi-unintentionally, downsizing through yard sales just to put food on the table when, my then husband, lost his work due to an accident. Then, losing just about everything else I owned in an attic fire.
I never really liked having a lot of stuff to begin with. But we accumulate things over the years via holiday gift giving and such.
So, now I dwell in a little apartment for one. And everything I own right now can fit in my PT Cruiser :-/
I prefer things this way. It’s liberating and enlightening. :-)
I understand. I became a minimalist after a house fire robbed me of my treasures, then health troubles forced me to part with more. I came to the same realization after first being forced to live simply, and then coming to embrace it.
When you own less, you stress less. Everything you own has a cost of maintenance, so owning less saves you money. It seems all rather zen-like, but less really is more.
It just seems like a great deal of one’s precious energy goes into one’s possessions. When you have less of them, you get to keep more of that energy for yourself. The only problem is, I never realized that until they were gone.
Hi Sherry, very nice little home there and good to see more permanent small homes on the website.
I downsized from a 5 bedroom 3 car garage and swimming pool to an old camp trailer after my divorce and I left everything behind that I could not pack into my pickup.
After two years living in the camper I designed and built my own 14×14 cabin that has room for everything I need and is very comfortable for two people.
I am an outdoors person and love to sit on my porch and watch the hummingbirds feed or work in my raised bed garden just steps from my front door.
With the money I save having no house payments or utility bills (I am off grid) I was able to send my kids to college and travel and enjoy my hobbies and being self employed.
I really do not see many trade offs in living small as I have most every convenience I had in my big house but my pool is now a clear mountain lake and instead of traffic noises and police sirens I hear frogs and birds and I can see the stars that had gone away under city lights.
I also enjoy raising animals and my menageria of chickens, rabbbits, and horses would not be possible in the city.
LaMar
LaMar,
I truly love the IDEA of one of the tiny house on wheels. However; I’m not so sure I’d like the reality. But I do love my little cottage and it, along with the three lots that belong to it, cost us less than a tiny house built by someone else. We did build our own smallish (1200 square feet) house in Wyoming and I discovered I like the decorating part far more than the building process.
We too, ended up in the woods in a camper trailer. I will talk about our adventure and some of the lessons we learned from it in my third post.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your story.
Sherry
I love your style of writing and your story. I too love the “idea” of a tiny home, but am afraid the reality would be a bit of a culture shock for me and hubby. I do relish the thought of down-sizing our possessions and living in a smaller home, with just the necessities one day soon. I think changes such as these are great, but also each step is vital. I look forward to your posts in the future! Thanks for giving us who dream of a simpler life, a picture and a story that is your reality. Seeing it come to life somehow gives us hope. I also love that you shared with us a photo of your sweet cottage and know that it is truly possible.
Shelly <3
Hi Shelly,
Thank you so much for your kind words. Despite it’s rough start, this journey has been a blessing for me. I think I learned more about who I really am during the time spent sorting through all of my accumulation that I had in the 15 years prior to that. The things I decided were important enough to take helped me realize what my values truly are.
Good luck in your own journey, where ever it takes you!
Sherry
life threw me a curve when i was 53 when i got sick and i lost my job, the house i had worked so hard for, even the car. i went from a 1200 sf house to a 330 sf apartment for 6 years. boy, did i have to downsize. i moved into a 484 sf apartment last year and feel like im in a mansion. i am so happy here and have continued to live a pretty minimal life ever since. love hearing from others who are trying and enjoying the small life.
Hi Maggi,
It’s amazing how much difference a hundred square feet or so makes. With the exception of the camper trailer in the woods, this is the smallest home we’ve ever lived in. Yet, it doesn’t seem small at all and I wonder what we ever needed all that space for!
Sherry
This is asked with NO SNARK!!! Am I missing a larger article from Sherry? I just see a single photo of a tiny house, a normal sized article and NO links. It appears that there’s more to this story and I’d love to read it. :)
Hi,
This is a 4 part story. There are three other parts out now and one more to go. :)
Sherry