“Right-Sizing” Is Truly About Living A Simpler Life!



"Right-Sizing" Is Truly About Living A simpler Life!

So many people have been plagued in our state (AZ), CA, TX and many others with fire. The severe drought has caused all the beautiful vegetation to become dry and become fuel for a simple spark of a cigarette, lightning strike or unattended camp fire.

Families interrupted in their lives by fire officials alerting them to a fast moving fire approaching their home. Time is of the essence and must evacuate the premises within minutes. What would you do? What would you consider precious enough to “Garb-N-Go” in a moments time?

For me….I would grab my animals (two dachshunds and one crotchety 31 year old parrot), Juan (Love that guy)….Hmm what else? What would I find that important? My iPhone, Laptop, iPad….(Okay, Okay, all my techy gadgets)…photos…however I have scanned all of them and have them safe and secure in my iCloud. (wink wink smiley face) Hmm what to take? I guess if I had more than five minutes, let’s say 30-60 minutes, I would think of immediate needs such as clothing, toiletries that type of stuff. I love my vintage school chairs, my father’s grandfather clock…some sterling… (Heavy sigh)…this is hard for me.

In my mind, I feel that I have the most precious things with me, Juan and my animals. Of the few other things I would take, what “STUFF” do I really need in life? So...did you try this little exercise with me? What would you take? THEN think to yourself ALL the extra stuff left in your home. No, I am not stating that you should live in a travel trailer…you, your spouse kids and pets. I am only asking you to think about what you have and what you need. Are there rooms full of clutter, heck…are there rooms that you are not using? Are there spaces in your home, storage, office, (life) filled with “STUFF” and clutter? Would it be possible to “Right-Size” your life? Yup, I said it…not downsize….right-size.

As I mentioned in the beginning when I first started this adventure in blogging, Juan and I were looking to get rid of clutter and right-size our life. When people heard that we were moving into a smaller space, we were greeted with sad faces and long hugs…concerned that we have “lost our spot on the social pedestal of life”, lost our status, Ugh..d-o-w-n-s-i-z-e-d!

Juan and I beg to differ… we “right-sized” to enjoy and live a simpler life. Yes, we rid ourselves of the extra baggage and “Stuff” (I know always my favorite word however using it a lot right now). We spent a lot of time thinking about the space we truly needed for ourselves and what’s important to us. Everyone might have different needs in life and may require a little more space or maybe even less. How about you? What would you do? I’ve had the opportunity to receive direct emails from great people reading my blog encouraged by what we have done and taking their first steps to right-sizing their lives... people who have successfully started living a simpler lifestyle with less square footage. I would love to hear much more from you. Respond anonymously in comments; email me (Shawn Smith) whatever you like. Tell me if you are feeling the way we did last year... Or if you have been doing this and why you did it. I would love to hear from you.