"Hey Tim, you got a second?"
One of the most popular questions I get asked when talking about Tiffany and tiny living is "Dude, what made you wanna do that?!" I typically reply back with "Funny you should ask."
So let's take a step back and get the lay of the land. Tiny home living has always been on my bucket list or at the end of "Dude, you know what would be sweet..." but I could never find a point in my life that was "just right" to make that statement a reality.
Fast forward to the end of December 2016. I am done with college by now, currently two years into my big boy job working with my brother in the lighting industry down in Sarasota, Florida. I've been dating a beautiful girl named Sam, hubba hubba, and Mom and Dad are visiting from Cleveland, OH for the holidays. At this point, I am paying rent to live in Mom & Dad's rental property home in Sarasota, which is definitely not a bad gig. #grateful
While the 'rents were down for the holiday visit, Dad casually walks into the living room and gives me the old, "Hey Tim, you got a second?". Which, if you know my dad, does not mean he is there to ask you where you want to go for dinner tonight. It means he's been thinking intensely, and something out of left field is going to happen, for better or for worse. Long story short, he tells me it's time for me to find my own place and gave me six months to find a place to call home.The night goes on, and to Dad's credit, he did ask where I wanted to eat.
Later that night I am talking to my Shellmate (aka Sam) about how I needed to find a place by June, and how she needed to start looking as well since her lease would be up around the same time. So, of course, this leads to "Let's move in together". Feels right.
Naturally, we had to see what we owned individually so that we could plan the move. Joshua Millburn's IKEA moment in his documentary "The Minimalist" crossed our minds. It was this section from his book that really had the biggest impact on me; it's almost poetic with a realization of how the race for things can confuse our perspective of what a need is. Sam and I started to look at our possessions and came to the conclusion that the things we thought we needed, we really didn't need after all. We didn't even touch more than half of the things we owned. It was time to slim down our life.
Sam and I start looking at bungalow style homes in Sarasota and Saint Petersburg. Although there were plenty of quaint homes, we couldn't help but notice how much unnecessary space there was that we wouldn't use, but would ultimately end up paying for. Then, on top of the space we didn't want from the start, we also would have to fill it with things we didn't even need.
In the headache of figuring out a home we didn't have to rent and place we could eventually call ours, Sam gave me the "Babe, wouldn't it be sweet if we..." Then the research began.
So what made me want to do this? It wasn't one specific thing, but maybe a series of events, some by mistake and others on purpose, that led me to this moment. I think as humans we get lost in the chaos around us, forget to stay present, and too often think "I'll do that when I have more time in my life". We can fix that now. From now on, instead of 60 minute hours in our day, let's make them 57.6. Adding up those extra 3.4 minutes gives you an extra hour of time in Earth's rotation. YOU are in charge of your time. Live right now. Go and do the things that make you say "Dude, you know what would be sweet..." because this moment, right now, is the only time you need to make it happen. You are ready.
-Tim
Dad being Dad