Downsizing Lowdown: Part II – we downsized and it was good

-By Lisa

A while ago, I posted about Husband and I deciding to voluntarily downsize. We have now moved to a place that has about half the square footage of our old house and practically no yard to take care of – just enough outdoor space for my container garden, composter and the sunset-watching/tea-drinking chairs. Those were deal breakers.

We have now settled into our new place; the weekends are no longer consumed by breaking down boxes and spending 15 minutes looking for the vegetable peeler. It feels like home here. And although more than a few people thought we would be running around screaming in search of the lost square footage – it hasn’t happened.

In fact, just the opposite happened. We got rid of about half of our stuff before leaving the old house. But when we got to the new place, even the stuff that made the cut seemed superfluous. Somehow in that half- mile trek from old house to new, many of my possessions lost their meaning. Like that book of Greek philosophy that was important enough to get packed in a banker's box. But within my new four walls, I suddenly realized that if I had some dire philosophical question, it could wait until I could get to the library.

There was more transformation in this move than merely a change of address. Space was something to be considered carefully and mementos of the old life began to feel like an albatross. I can feel this shift of priorities and releasing of the past. I want to be light and nimble. I am who I am because of my experiences, that can never be taken away; I don’t need the physical stuff to remind me. So, more and more stuff was gleefully relinquished and what remained was cherished more fully. 

The new house is a new chapter. A chapter of conscious living. Of choosing peace over strife. Choosing simplicity over complication. Choosing what feels right over what is popular. Choosing our relationships over distractions. Choosing our future over consumerism. 

I almost wish I had some dramatic story about the discord that ensued from this new smaller, less impressive space; tales of a difficult adjustment to shared walls or a heartsick longing for the chair I sold on Craig’s List. But nope. The whole thing has been pretty drama-free. Sure, there are downsides, our place is more suburban cookie-cutter than I prefer, but financially it put us where we want to be and it sets us up for where we want to go. I find a great deal of inner peace in that -- which drowns out the outer construction noise. 

If there is any drama to be had, it is this. As I look around, I think – we could totally go smaller. And I get very tempted to turn it into this challenge of how small we could go, how little we need, how much we can save. But since we are not quite ready to go off the grid and get a yurt, I think we’ll stay here for a bit. After all, I just got all our addresses changed – and that’s a total pain in the ass.

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

Comments

[Karen]

Came over from Green Follow Friday! Great blog you've got - I especially like this post. I know it takes courage and lots of willpower to see downsizing through to real results!

[Simplifying the Simple Life]

Hey Karen,
Thanks for coming by - so glad you like our blog!