Author Archives: nephthysnile

It’s a Small World Afterall – Tiny House Movement.

Houses seem to be getting bigger and bigger until they take up most of the block of land they’re on. No room for kids to play. No room for a shed. No room for gardening, which is okay because with climate change and water restrictions, it’s not like you could keep anything alive anyway.

Tiny HouseIt seems to me like this is just the way it will be. Ever smaller block thanks to subdivision and urban crush, with multi-storey dwellings becoming the norm. Increases in medium to high density living and a constant pull on resources in constantly decreasing public spaces…

 

That was until I was this website yesterday. The Tiny Life is a cause I could really see gaining momentum. 

The cost of living is always increasing, but it seems we are having to stretch the dollar further and further these days just to make ends meet. Demands on housing mean pretty soon the “1/4 acre block” will become a thing of fantasy, or the exclusive domain of those with an endless supply of cash.

It just seems to make more sense to me to live small. At the very least it means less space to keep clean! 

A house on a trailer is the land equivalent of a houseboat, without the constant holiday feel of living in a caravan. Brilliant! Not to mention that it seems to me to be a highly sustainable way of living, requiring less resources and making less impact on the environment. 

All in all, it would be lovely, and I think I may have just changed my plans for the future. 

Would you be able to live like this? Could you live off the grid and on a trailer? Let me know!

On Being Thankful.

Giving thanksThis morning an article on LinkedIn caught my eye. I finished reading it and spent a moment thinking about its underlying meaning.

There are things to be thankful for in any situation, but sometimes we find it easier and, dare I say it, more socially acceptable to be down on everything in our lives.

This is my time to be thankful. Being thankful isn’t just able saying, “Thank you,” and moving on. It’s about seeing the silver lining in the darkest cloud, knowing it’s there, appreciating it, embracing it and carrying it with you as you move through the difficult situation. It’s about allowing the good feeling of being thankful to fill you and not feeling ashamed to smile about it, regardless of how people around you are acting.

These are the things I am thankful for:

  • I have a good, healthy life
  • My child is healthy
  • I have a healthy, happy relationship with a partner who supports me and my decisions
  • I can support my family financially and emotionally
  • I have attended university
  • I have people around me who believe I can succeed
  • I am able to show my intelligence and not be sidelined for it
  • I work with great people who are genuine about their interests and passionate about their work

Now, this isn’t about joining in on the American tradition of Thanksgiving Day.

It’s about making sure I, and I hope you as well, take the time to reflect on what is really precious in life. Offering a silent thank you and being truly appreciative is not often something we do these days, but I think it’s a very important part of bringing a sense of balance to an otherwise hectic schedule. All it takes is a moment of your time.