Learning the Gentler Lifestyle ~ Dave

Learning the Gentler Lifestyle ~ Dave

           For over a year I have lived in a small 7’-6” x 20’, 150 sqft. shipping container on an acre of land. Prior to moving to my container I had a spacious 3 bedroom condo, a 10,000 sqft. warehouse and 1 acre of land. Two years ago, on this day Jan. 10, I lost it all in a sheriff’s raid (except my one acre) and although this painful catastrophe was difficult to work through, today I am grateful for my loss as it reset my lifestyle and rebooted my psyche on a path of gentler healthier living.

           Rewiring my brain from a lifestyle of financial spoil (having whatever I wanted) in my larger comfortable home, to a lifestyle of constant organization and minimalist living in my small steel box, has been a struggle and a joy as I agonized (and still do) over letting go of emotional attachments and a large volume of physical stuff that overwhelmed my environment. Suddenly I didn't need so much furniture, suddenly I didn't need so many cloths, 4 bicycles, a computer in every room and a 52” plasma TV; rather I needed the right furniture and the right clothing that fit in with my smaller living arrangement.

           The psychology of living in a large space is different than the psychology of living in a “Tiny Home”. Small home psychology has forced me to be poignantly aware of how one relates to the square footage one resides in and has helped me to contemplate sustainable architecture and how we interact with our surroundings; versus when living in a larger home with enough space to just throw stuff around the house, my environment didn't matter because there was always enough space to live large, stock pile stuff, and have junk everywhere! Living in a small space with less possessions has been difficult, but it has also caused me to practice better personal habits and live more gently.