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Aug 10we need less than we think
We now live in a tiny house in Portland, Oregon. I was initially excited to move in because the arrangement is a delightfully perfect situation for our temporary needs: month-to-month rent, a fully furnished space… this was only meant to be a temporary resting place while Ali finds his next workplace commitment. We moved in knowing that if the house didn’t work for us, it would be painless to leave after a month.
Well, our first month is at an end, and… I could stay here forever. The 364 foot space is enough. The large trees above help us maintain the inside temperature without using the ac/heating unit. The two burner range has been just right for our dinner needs. The small size fridge encourages us to buy only what we need, and we’ve wasted very little because we don’t gather too much. The lush and wild gardens surrounding the house give us a level of privacy I would never expect from a busy residential neighborhood, and we have just the right mixture of quiet and activity on our little street.
High ceilings make the house feel spacious, and the stained wood beams provide warmth and cozy. A large loft sleeps several guests (!!) and the small bathroom somehow manages to feel exotic enough to be in a European hotel. Everything we need is within arms’ reach but I don’t feel cluttered or closed in. Two distinct inside areas, plus the front porch swing mean that although I spend 78% of my time in one area, I still have the luxury of options. We are one block away from a trendy restaurant and shopping row which means four different coffee shops, a major music venue, and homemade ice cream is all a short walk away.
Since we moved here I have done a lot of thinking about smaller living. I am a person who finds comfort in the ability to purchase things I feel I need when I feel I need them. (I had to choose the words in the previous sentence carefully because I recognize these are all felt needs that have little to do with reality.) I have always lived with a scarcity mentality that tells me I never have enough, I will never be happy until I have the next greatest thing… which then ups the ante and takes me to tomorrow’s latest innovation. It’s a major problem and I wonder soberly whether this “never good enough” mentality is at the root of our human depravation — in other words, this is the junk puts a serious wedge between us, others, and God.
Oops, this is getting theological. I started this post in an effort to address how we got our possessions pared down to only a car-full, but now my thoughts have turned to heavier things.
This year I have been trying to integrate the yogic principle of being observant while withholding judgment. This has helped me get to the roots of my feelings, tendencies, and habits without pulling back in distaste or avoidance. So I have been able to think more deeply through the fears that hold me back from life freedom. Being poor is one of my deep-rooted fears; that whole scarcity mentality grips my heart and brain and causes me to hold onto things I don’t need or want because I think I might someday want them.
This year I’ve been watching with interest as minimalism becomes trendy among writers — a lifestyle intention that allows people in these difficult economic times to lighten their grip on stuff, live on less by harnessing the power of “the cloud,” and become location independent. These writers benefit greatly from gaining a refreshing perspective of someone who is choosing to step away from the constraints of owning too much. I want that perspective, because I have long felt the largeness of American consumption eating away at my soul.
I’ll write more about our journey into LESS in a subsequent post, but right now I’m exhausted from talking about something that has to do with depravation.
October 5th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
this is good.
November 13th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
[...] much of life, this seems to come down to the issues of SCARCITY and ABUNDANCE. It’s a much larger topic that I have touched on briefly before. Kind of a life meta-lesson for me these past months and upcoming year — to choose abundance [...]