Small Living and Marriage

Here's the thing about living in 600 square feet with a toddler and a baby, you both have to be into it.  By both, I mean, you and your partner.  If one of you is secretly gunning for extra square footage or hasn't bought into the idea that less is more, then it's going to be a tough go.  This was brought to my attention recently when I was complaining to my husband Trevor about some of the difficulties of living small.  I was whining about something like no space for baby gear or nap schedules or comparing our space to others (comparison, the thief of all joy!).  I was pushing buttons and implying that the space wasn't working for us. Trevor, (with a few more hours of sleep than me) didn't take the bait and quickly reminded me that we choose to live this way, small and with fewer things, and that we are gaining a lot from this choice. I asked him to remind me because in this baby and toddler haze, I sometimes can't remember my own name, let alone our mission to live consciously with less. 

• We are living within our means and not taking on a larger mortgage that would be stressful to us.
   
• Less overhead expenses means more experiences are possible like travel.
   
• Staying focused on less consumption of material goods for us and our kids. Not buying things for the sake of buying. Filling our house with things we don't need or want just for a moment of shopping bliss.
   
• Less space means less space to maintain, we don't have a yard or large house in need of constant upkeep. Once our space is clean we can spend our time together doing things rather than maintaining our living space.
   
• We have so many amenities and experiences at our fingertips living in the heart of Vancouver like Science World, the Aquarium, Pacific Spirit Park, World Class community centres, the Seawall, Ocean and Mountains (and great coffee and food ...goes without saying)
   
• All the adventures we can have in our Van this summer! I forgot all about Ferdinand (something we couldn't afford if we lived in a much bigger place)
   
• Most importantly we are all healthy and happy and together under one (small, shared) roof.  

I am grateful that when I am faltering, he is there to raise me up.  And while I was busy worrying about my own small space gripes, I noticed one morning that Trevor gets ready for work basically in the dark so as not to wake the rest of us. I saw him tiptoeing around one morning and realized that he never complains about this inconvenience.  And sometimes he does his workouts in the (dark and depressing) parkade after we are all asleep because the gym is closed and we don't have any extra space for a workout.  So while it may seem that because I write the blog, that I do this alone but I most certainly do not.  Where I am the worrier, analyzer, doer and researcher in pursuit of beautiful things... Trevor is the dreamer, cheerleader, protector and relentless pursuer of functionality. I'm always trying to make our space beautiful and he's always trying to maximize functionality and after the differing opinions, we find our balance and home.