What Tiny Living Has Given Me
I wake up every morning, open my eyes, and gaze out my beloved loft skylight. My first thought every morning is "Is it raining outside?". The answer right now is almost editably always, "Yes". Then I take a closer look out the skylight and decide "Is it just raining or is it pouring?" (Yes, I live in the PNW). You see, many tiny dwellers talk about gaining financial freedom, a minalmilst mindset, and free time. But these are not what tiny living has given me.
Financial freedom is my goal, but tiny living has definitely not given it to me. I had to take a loan out to finish my tiny house. A minimalist mindset just doesn't describe me. I'm a confirmed practicalist. Which I define as: own as many "I use every week" items as possible. Free time has also not been given to me. My experience is that I spend more time cleaning the tiny house than my apartment because you can always see the mess and the dust...
But what tiny living has given me is the outdoors.
My outdoor gym.
Yes, almost every tiny dwellers goal is to spend more time in the outdoors, but tiny living has literally given the outdoors to me. You see, I do wakeup every morning and look out my skylight and wonder about the weather because the outdoors is part of my home. This new deeper than every appreciation for the outdoors all started when we moved into our tiny house and canceled our gym membership. I was nervous about canceling our gym membership because if I felt claustrophobic I could have easily gone to the gym. Now, the goal was to exercise outside everyday - rain or shine. What I've discovered is that exercising outside is more invigorating than in a gym. The outdoors in its pure crispness renews the soul. I've also discovered that the street next to mine has an outdoor gym pathway, that there is actually a 2 mile mountain hike close by, and that picnic tables are great for yoga.
The outdoors is definitely my home gym and it is even more a part of my home. The outdoors is the extension to my living room when guests are over, it's my dining room, and my private office space when my husband is sleeping and I need to make a phone call.
The outdoors is a part of my home and it is because its tiny. It's not just a life style change. Tiny living has literally given me the outdoors because in my tiny house everywhere I turn is the outdoors. I am outside more (a check goes next to that tiny house goal) and when I am inside the outdoors is with me. I am never in a room in my house where I don't know what the weather is like outside. I hear the rain on my roof and from every vantage point in my house I can see the rain on the windows. I never go to my front door and say, "Oh, its raining out."
First ski of the season.
