‘What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men …… That is what love looks like.’ - St. Augustine

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Taking First Steps

credit: Tiny House Listings
I have dreamt of downsizing into a tiny house for at least a decade, if not longer. I am on email lists for every tiny house company out there: this one,and this one and this one, to name a few) and I scour pinterest and bookshops for every resource on tiny houses I can find. I've worked on downsizing for years, but mostly with an eye towards getting rid of clutter - not with the intention to truly clear everything out. But this change keeps calling me.  There is not one reason that feeds this decision, but there are a few primary factors:

1. I hate/despise/loathe our materialistic, hoarding, junk-accumulating society. I am depressed every day by the waste. It hurts my heart. I don't like the message it sends my kids either - that anything should be just tossed aside for the newer, brighter version, that clothes must stay 'up to date' for one to fit in, so one must buy. buy and buy more every season. Ugh.

2. The disparity between the haves and have nots in the world is a constant ache in my heart, and I am part of the problem if I'm not trying to be part of the solution. I want my life to be a reflection of my deepest convictions and beliefs, and it is not right now.
credit: Tiny house Listings

3. I want to free up my money, time and resources so that I can better help Anya and the other girls in her shoes throughout the world. A tiny house means less time tending to 'stuff' and more time to pursue worthy endeavors. A tiny house means less money spent over time on SO many things: books, toys, furniture, heating, electricity, clothes, and a million other items and resources. That money saved can help SO MANY PEOPLE!

4. It gets me closer to living a more authentic life - one with an emphasis on people instead of things. A life that forces us outside more. A life that encourages engagement more. A life that requires me to rely on libraries more than bookstores, experiences more than distractions, others rather than self.

So I'm taking a tiny step forward. I signed up for an online course taught by someone involved in the Tiny House Movement. It's a course developed for those of us who want to transition to tiny from a typical home. Its an eight-week guide to downsizing, de-cluttering, and living smaller and with less. I'm very excited about it. My realistic goal is to be moving into a tiny home within 5 years. I wish it were sooner, but I'm trying to be realistic. I need to save quite a but in order to buy one, and that's the biggest hindrance to it happening sooner. I don't have any money to spare, because every extra bit goes to Anya, but I'm hoping to find a way to sell much of what I have, and put all that money towards our tiny house fund.
Credit: Hornsby Island Caravans

And Matilda is beside herself with excitement - don't worry about her. She has known about my dream of tiny house living since she first hosted with us, and she is ALL on board. She has even drawn tiny plans for our house and has dreams of having more time free to travel, since we now have family all over the world!

I'll keep you posted on what I'm learning as the course progresses. And by all means, if you know any tiny-housers, or if you are looking to down-sizing too, let me know in the comments.

DREAM HOME.  Credit: naturalhomes.org



5 comments:

  1. Keri, I didn't get a chance to post a comment on your last post, which was WONDERFUL to read--love the updates and all the photos! But now I HAVE to take a minute and tell you that I too follow the Tiny House Blog, and some years back I recognized your sweet face under the "followers" of the blog as I was reading it. So ever since then I have felt even more of a kindred spirit thing with you! So I had to tell you this dream is beautiful and I absolutely love the tiny house movement. We currently live in our own tiny house--not so small as those you and I both drool over, but at 550 sq feet with 6 people living in it (4 of them getting bigger every day) most people consider it crazy small. It has always felt just right. : ) But you are going to hear your share of people calling you crazy. I am sure you are used to it by now--adoptions are even crazier, right? ; ) So I wanted to leave a comment of love and support. Hooray for tiny houses!

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  2. I've become enamored with the tiny house movement too! I think I binge watched Tiny House Nation a few months back...

    I was drawn to tiny houses for pretty much the same reason you were. One of the first steps I have taken is to start purging things that I just don't need any more. My efforts to focus more on people and less on materialistic things is about to kick into high gear when I move overseas next year. I can only take so much and I know I will have to pick and choose carefully. Also...I currently live with my parents and, while I don't know if actually living in a tiny house is my destiny, I think the same principals could easily help several generations living under one roof. Now I think about finishing the basement so my grandparents can come live with us or downsizing so that *all* my possessions (and I mean all) fit into just two rooms. We'll see where this takes me but I'd love to hear about what you learn and how things are going for you. I have a done a few blogs on purging but I think I might be due for another round...

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  3. Oh, I *love* that last one! What a perfect little bit of home. :>

    Will be eagerly reading along. We've been house-hunting for months. It's exhausting. And then the job-hunting will begin.

    Hoping your tiny house hunt will be joyful and easy.

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  4. Anonymous11:41 PM

    So funny, my prayer is a bigger house for more accessibility for the wheelchair user, and easier layout for the one without arm, and of course I'd fill it up with more disabled kiddos. :) We too however are on the de-clutter mission! We don't buy the stuff, most of it is given too us and I find it hard to get rid of, since most of it was some family relic at some point and the extended family would notice if went missing... I think! We are slowly sneaking it out and hoping no one notices!! Love your tiny houses!

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  5. Keri, would love to do some brain-picking! I don't know if you remember, but we have similar skill sets and similar life-situations.

    I'm a single mom to a daughter who was born in Russia. She does best when homeschooled. That's my preference, too. But…I'm almost out of savings.

    I need to find a way to work from home. I'm a teacher with a background in professional theatre. I teach Shakespeare to kids. :>

    If you've got ideas, I'd love to hear them. And, if Rebel Shakespeare needs another rebel, give me a shout! k8 christian at gmail

    Blessings and thanks!

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