Happily Imperfect

Well, we have made it to our 5 month mark of living tiny.  I wish I could say it was everything I had dreamed it would be, however that would be a lie. Truth is, it has not been without its share of difficulties, challenges and constant reminders of what small life living is all about.  This life is not as put together as I had hoped it would be.

For the past few months, the desire for perfection has been bothering me.  I see it everywhere –  hear about it everywhere  – and even find myself chasing after it until reality slaps me in the face.  It’s then that I realize perfection is not only severely overrated, but extremely overvalued. Everyone seems to desire it – people pay $$$ to achieve it – and in the end, we’ve lost sight of what’s more important: imperfection.

When we first introduced Silvia, she looked immaculate! Simply due to the fact that I spent roughly 4 hours cleaning her, head to toe before I took those pictures.  She was stunningly beautiful and everything was put away in its place.  When I look at this picture, I think to myself, if only it looked like that all the time… 

but the truth is, it don’t. 

NOTE THE ADDITIONS / CHANGES:

We had to buy a dehumidifier due to the insane amount of moisture from living in a small space.  And yes, that is pretty much where it stays – right out in the middle of everything.  The clothes pile on our bed (if it is not folded and put away) will make its way to the table when we go to bed – and then it will go back on the bed whenever we need to use the table.  We do still have two curtains, but they have been pushed over to one side so I can see the TV if I’m working at the table. We never put our dish drying rack away on our counter because we are always drying dishes. And lastly, the accumulation of random objects that always seem to find a home at the edge of our bed.  

Not so perfect anymore.

And then, there is our coat closet. 

Now, I know we cannot be the only people out there that have their espresso machine hanging out in the coat closet.  Not to mention, my camera bag sitting on top of our cast iron pot.  Good place for it, right?  No,  but it is the ONLY place for it.

We quickly became familiar with the routine of taking an item off or out so we can get the item underneath or behind.  Things seem to be piled on top of each other all over our trailer.  I would like to convince myself that we are doing a very good job of utilizing our space – but I have a feeling we are simply running out of space.

Just to clarify, I do clean our home.  I have not been officially diagnosed with OCD, but I do believe I have a slight case of it, and when you live in tight quarters it doesn’t take long before the mess starts messing with you.  However, the best part of the mess is that it takes me on average 1.5 hours to give Silvia a real good cleaning.  Can’t complain about that.

As much as I think I would rather live in the “spotless Silvia,” I realize it isn’t realistic.  It doesn’t look as though anyone lives there. I guess sometimes even perfection can be cold.  The “real life Silvia” is what I want. Even though just looking at the picture gives me a headache, I know that our trailer is well lived in.  Sure there are dirt marks all over our white cabinets and clutter everywhere you look, but it’s our home. And the time it would take to consistently have a flawless home only takes away from your opportunities to enjoy it with the ones you love.

It’s safe to say I won’t be letting the aim at perfection get in my way of living life well, even if it is a little messy.

Less is more,

Niki

P.S.  I miss a couch…

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