May 28, 2012 How does one contemplate the cost of living small? To purge and give away the cherished and uncherished articles of a former life is at once, melancholy and exhilerating. Today's metaphor is - a solitary seed...unless it dies and sheds the shell of yesteryear, it cannot grow and bloom. In a very short time, my livable space will be a microcosm of the life I have known for quite some time. Nine years ago my livable space was over 3,000 sq. ft. and my gardens of equal in size. Then shrinkage began; the next abode measured in at about 2/3rd's that size. Downsize #2 provided less than half that of the 'house in the woods'. Mid June, 2012 ...my 'house on wheels' would fit into the home of a decade earlier about 30 times! That said, I will still have the luxury of a stove to cook on, a bathroom, 2 tables, an almost queen-sized bed, a refrigerator and freezer, 2 sink areas, 2 captain chairs and a plethora of petite storage spaces/closets/drawers. How fine is that! A furnace will keep me warm in the cold and an air-conditioner will cool me under the beating of a hot summer sun. My fireplace ambiance is a DVD with a crackling fire image on my flat screen TV. As you can see, small need not equal physical discomfort, just fewer steps. I will be seen walking in God's great outdoor in future days,... this nature girl's playground suffices for exercise needed. The next year of living small seems to me, at this juncture, an adventure of a lifetime. At the completion of 12 months on the road, I would guess that living a bit larger may be quite welcome, but the lessons of shedding the excess for basic creature comforts will expand my understanding of a larger world that sees America as frivolous in expecting life's excesses. A phrase for your contemplation: SMALL LIVING BIRTHS SOUL EXPANSION. Into the Wind with, Nature Girl.