thinking that I could live tiny

Every once in a while, an idea pops into my head totally from out of the proverbial "blue" and I absolutely cannot seem to get it to go away.  Of course, acknowledging right from the get go that there are tons of other tidbits of information that seem to have a major problem staying put up there.  You know, things like the reason why I walked into the kitchen from the bedroom, where my checkbook is, and if I paid the car insurance or not.  Be that as it may, I have this idea stuck in my head right now and this thought is about the prospect of living "tiny" in the years to come.  Living tiny, have you ever heard of it?  I hadn't until several years back and I'd admit it was a thought that intrigued me at the time but evidently not enough to warrant my undivided attention to it.  Yesterday I noticed a post on my sister's Facebook page on how one family designed their version of a tiny house, one with less than 225 square feet, and all of a sudden now I cannot stop thinking about.   And now I wonder, what would it be like?  Could a person REALLY live that way?  I think it would be fun to find out.

I'm speaking for myself now, for Mike and I together.  We have way too much stuff accumulated between the two of us.  With storage units in both Kansas and here in Colorado, plus the plethora of items we are at present having to make our way around in the house until the inside of the new storage shed is completely arranged, it is obvious that we have been more than blessed in this life.  Believe me, 225 square feet of storage space would not even come close to being enough to store all of the things amassed by two people fast approaching the sixth decade of their lives.  So if we ever were to be able to live "tiny", a whole lot of things would have to go.  To be honest, that might end up being a good thing.  Having lots of stuff requires a lot of work.  Would I ever love to have back all of the hours that I've spent cleaning, dusting and rearranging things that in the end may prove to be in reality, not worth all that much to me in the first place.

If you look inside most tiny houses, one of the first things you notice is that not an inch of space goes unused.  Every single detail within them has a purpose, a definite use in the overall design.  Perhaps these residences in miniature  put some folks in mind of a kid's giant playhouse, a doll house made into a life size living arrangement.  In all of the ones that I have seen there would appear to be most of whatever you might need in your affairs of daily living.  The kitchen and bathroom design appears most workable.  There's a place to have your meals that doubles as an office work space when needed.  Bedrooms that are big enough to fit a queen size bed and dresser with closets to hold your clothing in.  The only thing lacking is space for a dishwasher, washer and dryer but shoot, the Renfros don't have any of those in our house here anyways.  You get used to it after a while. 

I'm sitting here at home this fine morning, wondering that if right now I had to choose 10 items to clear out of the house, by either selling or giving them away, then what would they be?  And the thing would be, IF I were able to choose those items would I be able to not purchase something else to take their place?  Our living room is full, so let's just use that one for an example.  Could I part with my small collection of Carnival Glass and the corner cabinet that it is now stored in?  There seems to be a wealth of pictures, really beautiful framed art work gracing our walls.  Could we choose the one that has the most meaning and then let the others go?  Mike and I are both collectors of old crocks from long, long ago.  If it came down to it and we would only be able to keep just one for each of us, then which two out of the about 40 or so would we deem the most valuable to us and considering a life of living tiny, would require the least space and provide the most usage?  And here's a thought that could be a little touchy to deal with.  My dear husband is a "Raider" fan and he pretty much loves to be able to watch their games on the big screen TV that sits against the east wall in this room.  Living tiny would mean that if we kept a television of that size, then something else would have to be sacrificed in its place.  You get the idea?  Well, at least it is all food for thought and for crying out loud, the living room is only one of 9 rooms in all.  Interesting to think about at least.

The sunrise is coming soon and it's time to get busy and start this good day that we have all been given.  Much work lies ahead for Mike and I in the days that follow this one, so I'm going to take a break, a bit of a "hiatus" from blogging for a while.  Planning to use the week ahead to make decisions about things that need to be taken care of before the summer's end arrives and believe me, that's going to be tomorrow if time doesn't slow down a bit!  Please dear friends and family, take care of yourselves and one another.  Stay close together always.  I am thinking of you this morning from the other side of the big mountain and praying for you always that things will be well for you and yours. 

Have a great Thursday, the 12th day of June in 2014.  This is a GREAT day to be alive in and I rejoice that I woke up this morning and have the chance to live one more day.  See you next week :)

Living tiny could free up a whole lot more time to explore the great outdoors, both here in Colorado and a lot of other places as well.  (Up on Cerro Summit as we watched the sunset back in September of 2013)

A chilly winter day back in January of 2013 during my first visit to south western Colorado.  (At the Black Canyon of the Gunnison)

The view from our own front yard, at home here.  (Late autumn of 2013)