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You're trapped in less than 160 sq ft of living space for 2 months
with your spouse. Oh and by the way in this tiny space you also have 2 dogs, not the small cuddly kind, the barbarically huge kind. In your tiny space is an Irish Wolfhound and a 140lb Mastiffe-Rottweiler mix.
How would you fare?
Why would we dare such a feat?
If you'd rather listen to this post click here.
The Living Quarters
From right to left, there's a bed, a water closet consisting of a shower and toilet, a kitchen with a refrigerator, freezer, a microwave, a stove top, kitchen sink, cabinets and dining table that converts to sleeping quarters.
Next to the dining table/sleeping quarters is the full size back door that opens out to convert to an enclosed patio, complete with netting and rails.
Although there are hookups for TVs and a great audio system, we didn't equip ourselves with TV. My husband's a writer so in our spare time we read. GASP. So many people don't read, can't find time to read, and wouldn't understand what to do without a TV.
Allow me to tell you...
how we survived for 2 months in less than 160 sq ft of living space.
Here's what we did:
We bumped into each other ❤️
Lots of tiny spaces to bump into each other turned into a lot of bumping into each other.
Read A LOT
When your husband's a full time world wide best-selling author who has Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Disorder, and was told as a child by medical professionals that he wouldn't amount to much because of his stupidity...Really folks, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried... but you're a fast reader without ADD or Dyslexia who loves your spouse, you end up reading his manuscripts and other author's works FOR HIM.
This year I have read over 90 books. I am going to hit 100 pretty soon if I haven't yet.
I read his genre, young adult. There is a lot of variety in young adult. I don't read romance (don't make me barf - it's trite, predictable and I lose interest FAST). I also don't read smut (see previous comments). I love books that have action, adventure, intriguing plots or characters. I love mystery. I love historical fiction.
A few of my favorites: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (not the movie, the book. The movie is awful.), Inheritance Games book #1 (after that the love triangle shows up and it becomes awful), The Cousins (by Karen McManus - a really great book), The Last Bookshop in London (a historical fiction and not technically YA), Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor by my husband (multiple personality ghost solving a murder, yeah it's a winner), Homeland Insecurity also by my husband (teens who dream of being spies who get tangled up with an international terrorist - an emotional roller coaster), Divine Rivals by Rebecca Yarros (a wartime fantasy with vintage elements.)
Reading increases your creativity, your imagination, your ability to love (I don't know why but it has), and decreases your stress.
Seriously, when you read you enter into another world, so while I lived in 160sq ft, my mind thought I lived in an enchanted castle with forests and house elves while schooling in Felix Felices potions. (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - seriously listen to the book! Thank me later. Then go pick up Leigh Howard and the Ghosts.)
Hiked
We hiked to over 5000' and saw over 3 states in one hike. We saw snakes, rabbits, deer, bear poo, but we also saw the most amazing waterfalls. Our dogs drank from running streams so much that they now hesitate to drink anything but running water. If it's running mountain water, they are all over it.
Cooked all our meals
When you're living in tight quarters, with limited space, you shop and cook for 2-3 meals at a time. Turns out meal time was quick. From prep to plate took on average 20-30 minutes. Good meals too. Nothing fancy.
I lie. We did wine and cheese night. We've been having wine and cheese since before our kids were born. We've been doing charcuterie boards long before they became popular. Goat cheese with mountain blueberries - yum!
Did I mention we cooked with the mountain blueberries we picked from our hike? Yummy pancakes.
Slept 8 hours + a night
No joke. Mountain air, tiny spaces and immersing yourself in darkness turned into a lot of sleeping. I woke up refreshed and relaxed every day. My husband woke up with more energy, which lead to a little bumping into each other.
What I learned
That's what we did, but what did I learn living in less than 160 sq ft with my husband and two large dogs for two months?
LESS ISN'T MORE. LESS IS WEALTH.
When you've got less space, you have less stuff. The stuff you put in that space matters and the stuff that's not there doesn't matter. Less stuff equates to more wealth.
Ronald Reed was a janitor who lived a quiet life. Unbeknownst to his family, he was a millionaire eight times over. No one knew he was a millionaire because he didn't have showy millionaire stuff.
Ronald Reed had wealth. Wealth is what you don't see 👉 money in the bank.
Bottom Line: Pricey expensive stuff is money you don't have, meaning it's the opposite of wealth.
CLUTTER IS DRAINING. NATURE IS FILLING.
Limited space meant everything that came in equated to something having to go out. Limited space also equaled being intentional about what you allow into your space.
We didn't have a TV. That was a deliberate decision. The time away made me consider the time suck TV was and the energy it drains. We didn't miss watching shows or news.
We did however miss days that didn't take us to a waterfall or a scenic hike.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
I loved waking up to the sounds of running water from the stream next to us.
The daily hikes and waterfalls were beyond price and available to anyone willing to make the trek up the mountain. Fireflies lighting up the evening skies were my favorite view as I walked the dogs and also without an entrance fee.
One of my favorite moments was picking mountain blueberries that made their way into pancakes and blueberry cobbler. Mountain blackberries were also free for the picking.
While the best things in life are free, so are the less than best things like the no-see-ums that made their way to bite me in the morning and evening, but it was worth it.
It took me 29 years but I found the secrets to a long and happy marriage.
Marry the one who was made for you.
Marriage isn't about the ceremony, the catering or the flowers. It's a covenant for life, where you stake your life on what you're about to undertake. Your LIFE. There is no easy button. There is no walking away when things get hard, and they will get hard or when your spouse changes, and they will change or they won't and you will.
I had no intention of ever getting married when I met my husband. I met him and I knew he was my spouse. We weren't anything alike. He wasn't anything I'd ever imagined but he was perfect for me. He was the lifelong partner I never knew I always needed.
Figure out how to live with less
Forgive? Sure, but more important than forgiveness is figuring out how to live with less. Figure that out and you'll need to forgive less because you'll be filled with a clarity of what really matters.
I lived, loved and laughed in 160 sq ft of living space. I hated coming home. Upon our return, our home seemed gargantuan. I realized we have way too much. I don't need much nor do I want it anymore. I want so much less.
Dr. Lizette Warner, PCC
With over 20 years of executive leadership experience, including as a CTO and COO. Lizette specializes in using a neuroscience-backed methodology for balancing achievement & well-being.
Lizette’s coaching approach is practical, probing, and pragmatically calm. She creates a space where insights emerge even from unstructured beginnings.
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