Last week, we went on a family trip to St. Augustine, Florida, where we stayed in a beach cottage. It wasn't sprawling - probably under 1,000 square feet - but after living in the bus for 4 months, 1,000 feet feels palatial.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS the grass is always greener. There are elements to be celebrated in all walks of life, and it's nice to get a change in perspective every so often.
1) SO MUCH KITCHEN SPACE
Y'all. We like to cook, and cooking with minimal counter space (and sharing it with another person) is difficult to say the very least. However, on the nights we cooked at the beach, I found myself twirling like Julie Andrews in the opening of "The Sound of Music" because SPACE. It. Was. Awesome.
2) BATHROOMS THAT LOCK
Sometimes you just need that extra five minutes to browse Facebook or finish that Buzzfeed quiz without interruption. Which brings me to...
3) UNLIMITED INTERNET
One of the biggest challenges we face on a day-to-day basis is rationing our meager 15 gigs properly to avoid overage fees. Sometimes we win this battle, sometimes we don't. It just depends on workload and if there are any pressing shows we need to watch (trust me, you don't want to be the guy that read about The Jon Snow Incident on Twitter). At the cottage we had the luxury of free wifi, and it was glorious. We read all the things, we watched all the things, because that Duck Army video won't watch itself.
4) THREE SIDED BED What!!?
A bed you can walk all the way around? Seriously though, this is a total game changer for people who get up at least once a night (e.g. me). On a similar note, we intend to post a video of us making our bed soon. The world needs to know.
5) MODERN CONVENIENCES
There are a lot of basic appliances we gave up to have more valuable counter/cabinet space. A coffee maker and microwave are the ones we miss the most. We were accustomed to drinking a pot a day because why not? Nowadays we're limited by the size of our French press and the amount of chutzpah we're willing to put forth in order to have coffee.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS the grass is always greener. There are elements to be celebrated in all walks of life, and it's nice to get a change in perspective every so often. I certainly wouldn't trade the life we have for something resembling the one we used to have.
While we were enjoying some of the perks of conventional living, I missed some vital things about living small: the simplicity and purposeful intent of our life here; the way our tiny home can be completely cleaned in just 15 minutes (15 minutes!).
The way that our circumstances force us to live outside our former habits of binge-watching anything and everything. I always wonder what ideas I might have had if I hadn't been so caught up in the trappings of routine. This life is unpredictable and scary, but is ultimately shaping us into wiser, more fulfilled individuals.
I'd give up a toaster for that any day.