Category: Life

A new year — again!

I’m not one to make resolutions; I didn’t quit smoking on January 1. Nor did I start a diet.

Oh, I want to quit smoking. I stopped for about 18 months and started again over the summer. I didn’t beat my self up about. Hell, I love smoking and starting again was like reconnecting with an old friend. The kind of friend my Mom didn’t approve of in my high school days — a bad one that got me into a lot of trouble. But boy, did we have a lot of fun. So while I didn’t resolve to quit smoking as soon as the clock struck midnight, I do plan to stop again soon. I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of being ready. I’ll know when I am.

I don’t believe in dieting. I know they don’t work — not for long anyway. The only thing that works is changing your lifestyle permanently — not skipping dessert for a few months. Over the last few years I have lost a fair amount of weight and I didn’t stop eating anything I loved — I just ate more of what I loved less.

Plus, I started walking a lot. I get bored at the gym but I don’t get bored walking around the city, so that was an easy thing to add to my daily routine. I still would like to lose a little bit more. Just enough to go down one size. Maybe I can do it or maybe this is my set point. Either way I’m fine with it.

There are few things I am interested in doing this year. One is volunteering. I’m not sure where yet but I am doing some research.

The other thing I want to do is go to Iceland. It seems like I am the only person I know who wants to go there! But I’ve decided life it too short to not go because I can’t convince any of my friends that it is a great vacation spot. It is and I am going!

Finally, I’d like to take a driving refresher course. I don’t think I’ll buy a car (despite thinking those new Fiat’s are adorable) but joining Auto Share would make my life a little easier. Thing is, I have barely driven in 20 years. I used to drive all over the place in my little Acadian and later in my fancier Olds Calais — on the highway even — so I know I can do it again. I just need to get behind the wheel and get comfortable.

Happy New Year!

That was the question a friend asked when she visited my new place.

All the stuff I need is here in my tiny perfect condo. I do have a ladder, tools and some family stuff in storage, but I try hard not to hang on to things I don’t need or love. Pretty much everything around me is nice to look at or serves a purpose. Some even do both.

I’ve always appreciated interesting small spaces. In my twenties, I rented a teeny apartment in the downtown core. It was quite small but well organized and tidy — much like I’ve set things up now. (I also owned a hideous green couch set at the time. That particular selection — a vile Aztec pattern — was a huge home decor error but each ugly item I’ve ever purchased has been a learning experience.)

It’s certainly a big change from my last home — it’s almost a third the size and is missing some high end features, among some other things, that didn’t make the trip across town. But I don’t need a giant gas range or three bathrooms to be happy. I believe that happiness is a choice; it does not come from things…it comes from within.

I’m still not totally settled, though. Once of the tricks to living small is having enough storage space so things can be neatly hidden away. You see, I forgot to mention that I also have a few pairs of footwear in storage and those little babies can’t come home until they have place to hide. A serious bank of closets will take care of that problem and will also streamline my bedroom which is a bit messy for the time being.

Once that project is complete, the bedroom will have triple the closet space and a Murphy bed that I can hide during the day. The place is not a studio, there is a separate bedroom but all those closets will be easier to access if the bed folds away. Plus it will look much neater.

I am not sure how long I’ll be here — I may tire of tiny — but it’s a lot of fun getting it set up.