My Nutshell, My Sanctuary

Small spaces have always appealed to me. There is something I find comforting about them, like how a rabbit must feel in his perfectly sized tunnel and den. When I was in college, I shared a ten by ten foot space with my best friend......for two years. We later went on to participate in Semester at Sea. We called a small cabin at the bow of the boat "home" for three months. It was literally the smallest on the ship at a measurement of about six by ten feet, (it even caved in at the end due to it's location on the bow of the boat...so probably even smaller than it was indicated to us). Some of our fellow classmates had these extensive rooms, which compared to ours, felt and looked like the Brushard Gardens. I wondered what they did with all that space. They apparently were at a loss as well, because our cabin became the place to hang out that semester. It became a game to see how many people we could fit in that small space, like clowns in a car, or people in a British telephone booth. I think that we topped at 13, with one girl half out into the hallway. Just couldn't get those legs in!
I was thinking about this "small" comfort I have, and realized that there are many legit reasons why small spaces are blessings in disuise, especially in our consumer driven culture. Currently I live in a place that is less than 400 square feet. Although it is small, it has been a blessing beyond words, and my personal sanctuary. Here are the reasons I have come up with, dedicated to the greatness of small living spaces.
1. Obviously, easy to clean! No need for "Saturday Chores". I can knock it out on a school night!
2. Three's a party!
3. No need for surround sound. Walmart speakers to my computer takes care of the whole place! Even the bathroom!
4. One painted accent wall. Done with the painting for anymore would literally be too much.
5. I haven't lost anything in months!
6. Open one window and I have fresh air through the whole place!
7. I can live by myself, 200 feet from the ocean on a teacher's salary.
8. I can hear the waves as I fall asleep (related to 7 I realize, but such a notable blessing)
9. I can hear the teapot whistling over the hair dryer because there isn't much footage between the bathroom and the kitchen.
10. When my canary sings, his varied notes fill the whole place.
11. One lit candle takes care of the ambiance throughout the entire space.
12. Hang clean laundry in the door jam, and it smells great for days.
13. One new house plant rejeuvenates and brings life to the whole space, not just one room.
14. Heater is on for two minutes (literally) and I have a cozy situation!
15. Living room easily converted into my personal yoga studio....especially since I can create a sauna like environment in 5 minutes (thank you wall heater..I love that chunk of metal!)
16. On the contrary, one fan cools the place off....all over!
17. Great singing acoustics, anywhere!
18. I don't spend my money on useless things because the only thought that goes through my mind in the store is, "Where would I really put this?"
19. Not much cabinet space, so my dad put shelves up. Dishes are there which means that I don't even have to open a cabinet for a dish. Handy!
20. I have learned new tricks. Latest is I can do a handstand against the front door, stand back up and spin, then reverse my handstand against the bedroom door. I feel really cool when I do that.
21. I love to be reminded of my blessing when my mom repeatedly asks, "You still like it here?"
22. People are literally speechless when I say the square footage of where I live. That always brings on a little giggle for me.
23. I look at my single miniscule sized closet and can't help but to think, "Gosh, I have a lot of clothes."
24. I wake up in the morning, take two steps and am at the heater, take three more steps and I'm at the stove, turning on the water for my coffee.
25. Learned to cook using the table and chairs as counter space. Again, this makes me feel pretty cool, like a juggling act.
26. Gotten very flexible sitting on the floor when company comes over.
27. My friends see me as resourceful. They reinterated the size of the place when talking to other people, like I can't emphasize it enough by myself. Again, causes a little giggle on my part.
28. Never put off going to the bathroom because I don't want to walk there. Lazy man's palace really.
29. When people under the age of ten come over, it is an amazing attitude shifter. I no longer have any longing for children (this is sheer sarcasm, however, they REALLY fills the place with a remarkable amount of energy).


.....and adding. May God bless my nutshell, my home, my sanctuary with many more benefits, funny stories and opportunities to laugh at the ridiculous things in life.