Selective Acclimation- Tiny Habits Carried Forward

Photo Cred: Nat Rea Photography

It has now been about three months since we have lived in the Pod.

I think that's a pretty solid amount of time to adjust back to more conventional ways of living. I have been incredibly curious and observant of the both of us as we have transitioned. I wanted to know what habits and mindsets would stick with us and what would fade away. One thing I spoke about in length at the very beginning of this journey was the true desire to simply have the experience. No matter what came of it, how long it went on, or even if it didn't totally work out, (but it SOOOO did) we wanted to give it a try and live through what followed. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: gathering experience is what makes life grand. We will all grow older, but if we seek experience over stuff, we grow deeper and richer as individuals. 

I have heard so many different people remark, "Well I guess living tiny doesn't work," when they hear of someone selling their tiny house and moving on. We were still living in the Pod when I came across that mentality for the first time. The person was commenting on another couple that was leaving the tiny life behind after about three years. I immediately thought, "What an idiotic, narrow response!" By that logic, we really need to rethink apartment living, because those people relocate as often as every year! I guess apartment living doesn't work! -- Oh she had that hair cut for two years, now she's changed it? Guess having hair doesn't work! Shave it off! ......I think you get my drift.

No version of Jess saw this coming!

This person was turning a gigantic blind eye to...let's call it LIFE in general.  I think back in five year increments and who I was at 25, NEVER EVER would have seen all the experiences and accomplishments that 30 year old me was bringing. The same goes for 20 year old Jess trying to imagine what 25 year old Jess would be. The point is, the "Decisions Made for Life" list is very short- heck! Even tattoos used to be on the list and now, (with enough money and sessions) those decisions can be reversed too. So to say- at any age really- "Yep! This is it! This is where I want to be for the next 50 years, I won't ever feel differently about this! No sir!" - is just plain ridiculous.

I digress. Back to the sociology study- so here is what I have noticed about how we live life now... We are incredibly lucky to be able to stay in a family members' apartment while they winter in Florida. They too, started to recognize the benefits and beauty of minimizing. So we got to transition back to regular spaces with perhaps the most perfect place!

This is big news people! For the first time ever,
Dan's side of the closet is bigger!!

The apartment is maybe 600 square feet with an open concept. They have just enough dishes, towels, chairs, etc for two people. There aren't stacks of books or shelves full of picture frames. We didn't find 34 different bottles of lotions, peels, scrubs and soaps in the bathroom. It seemed almost hotel-like at first, but the space has a very clean and inviting energy. We only moved in our clothes, computers plus gadgets, and some choice pantry items and kitchen tools. We were incredulous when we saw that we had cluttered up certain areas.  We might have lived tiny, but that doesn't automatically make you a minimalist. I found myself overwhelmed with the urge to donate even more things. 

Ready for the podcast! 

Major discovery number one: My involuntary need to get things just to fill a space, has been eradicated. Huzzah! I look at the simple layout of the kitchen slash living area, and feel no urge to put a big vase in that corner and a little statue on a stool over there, and a bowl of ceramic fruits on the coffee table.

Major discovery number two: This one actually came on the heels of the first- my ability to let items go is approaching Jedi Master levels. It was something I really had to work on when we began the journey, and had to keep in constant awareness as we lived in the Pod. But now, suddenly, I am a pro. My theory is that, since my ties to items were often sentimental, and we just let go of our tiny house, our veritable baby -- well....haha, giving away that pair of shoes is nothing now. I have learned that very little of life's material things are really worth the effort it takes to carry them along through all that life will bring...and minimizing is cathartic and energizing. 

Major discovery number three: My obsession with water use has some how intensified. I am painfully aware of every time I use water, but it's also a little magical too. Knowing I didn't have to carry that water into the apartment is pretty awesome. I am so happy that something as simple as running water is now a source of joy. It should be. This enduring appreciation for water, and keen awareness of my usage, is something that took root thanks to our way of life over the last three years. 

Major discovery number four: The friendships and community we have gained through living tiny will always be there. We have a pretty sweet group of friends, all impressive and compelling individuals that we are proud to know, let alone know well. We have continued to participate in cool tiny house stuff. If you missed it, check out the podcast interview we did with Tiny House Podcast! We met Michelle at Deek's tiny house summer camp last fall! (Relaxshacks.com) It's a more candid conversation that sheds light on our backgrounds and the underlying motivations and desires that took us down the tiny path.
We also recently joined in for one of Ethan Waldman's Tiny House Engage sessions focused on building with salvage and re-claimed materials. It's a great group on FB that is committed to sharing quality information on tiny houses.

Chattin' it up with Ethan during a Tiny House Engage
 video conference session.

In my happy, messy place...

Major discovery number five: The size of my cooking messes will always be directly proportionate to the size of the kitchen I use....as in, I will fill it all with mess. Ha! I am truly enjoying having a fully-applianced kitchen once again. I did miss that while we lived tiny, but now, I have a reason to especially enjoy that oven, that large deep sink, all that counter space! And much more so than I did before we had those experiences. 

In short, I believe that those three years of living tiny "worked" fabulously. The fact that it lasted for three years and not eternity certainly doesn't make it a fail in my eyes. Not only did we save a bunch of money and pay down a good amount of debt, I actually started my own business! I went down this path  wanting to be more aware and appreciative of the small things in every day life. I craved the empowerment that comes with building your own home, and wondered what all that new found courage and confidence would spur next in life. Let me tell you, the adventure did not disappoint. We are so proud and grateful to have experienced living tiny. 

Thanks for reading!

WE MADE IT!

Our house stuffs piled out in the yard. Didn't take long!

Short of a few scuffs and a small tear in the rubber roof- we are safe and sound at the farm!!


What a day!! Dan and I have been working overtime to get as much done on the siding as possible before the move. We broke from that frenzy on Saturday to prep the location some more and begin packing up and lowering the trailer. Come Sunday morning we were both full of excitement and apprehension. 


The original guy who was supposed to help us couldn't do it after all. He only had one size hitch welded on to his truck and it wasn't the right size. So Dan's Dad arranged for Interstate Towing to make the move for us. Sure it wasn't a free favor anymore, but we relaxed a little more know these were professionals with top of the line vehicles, years of experience, and insurance. 

We had examined several routes before the move to determine which would be best. We opted for the route that had the least hills, bumps, and sharp turns. Granted it took a little longer to get there- but it turned out to be a pretty smooth transfer. 

Waiting for the tow guys..

We had done our math and knew that the weight of the Pod was within the limits of the trailer, but there is always that little bit of doubt that lingers when you think about the scope of the project and how terrible it would be if we were wrong somehow. We filled our tires to 75 PSI after reading a couple articles on optimum tire pressure for trailers. They looked a little smooshed sitting there in the back yard, which I couldn't seem to ignore.

Pearl, you look gi-normous!

For the two days it sat on the ground before moving, I had one daymare after another about some freak accident happening, blowing out a tire, tipping over, causing a pile up, etc. As soon as the Pod began to move the first few feet, all my worries lifted.

It's Mater!! The little girls loved this!

It was just sunk into the dirt a bit! The tires popped up out of the little ruts looking fully inflated and ready to do the job. Maybe it was the truck, maybe it was just seeing how it moved, but I began to REALLY see how small our home is. Wow. Seeing that little box on wheels easily roll away with out a single protest made me feel relief and a little foolish for how much worrying I had done.

Moral Support Crew :)

We are on the move!

We had a nice crew there for support and entertainment as well! Dan's Dad was a HUGE help in coordinating and facilitating the move that day. His Mom and sister, Beth, plus her two daughters, were there for the big event too! We have plenty of pictures thanks to all the extra hands! 

There were only a few stretches in the road where low hanging wires were a concern, but we were below the 13'6" DMV requirement so TECHNICALLY if anything had happened, we were in the right, but thanks to the pros it never became an issue. There were a few times where they had to drive on the complete opposite side of the road in order to go under the highest parts of a wire, but thanks to our full parade of vehicles (Dan and his Dad lead the way, then the tow truck with the Pod, then the second tow truck, then me, then my Dad and Jake haha) we made certain that no one could be "surprised" by the tiny mobile house. 

I honestly thought there would be more rubber-neckers as we passed people in their yards or walking down the street- even people driving by. I am amazed at how many people just don't even look up! Their loss! 

After a 30 or so minute ride, we were turning the bend and rolling down the final stretch! I was so excited and felt SO welcome after seeing all the little celebratory welcome signs our new landlords put out for the big day.

I must say- Deb and Mike are comparable to angels to us. We know that what we are doing isn't typical or even widely accepted, so to find a pair of people willing to invite us onto their beautiful slice of heaven- and with genuine excitement and support- has been beyond amazing. 

We can't thank you enough!!!

It turned out to be a long and eventful day, but by the end of Sunday we were leveled and back up on jacks, we have moved just about all of our things back in, and just a couple boxes remained unpacked.  We still need to do more work before the solar panels are up and running, so for now Deb and Mike have graciously let us borrow power. Hopefully by mid-next week we will be running on sun power!

I still have quite a bit of video footage to go through and put together, so stay tuned for a video of the move!

Thanks for reading!
Like Us On Facebook

Our new landlords! :)