Sometimes it feels like the walls are closing around me in this house, where we have dwelled for 1,485 days of COVID. So, we left town and stayed in a tiny house near the lake. I was uncertain of what to expect in many ways. For instance, my husband is tall…how much head trauma would he endure? Would he ever be the same?
Also, we have been together since March. Would this be like the Ant farm we bought during COVID, where we watched the ants ripped each limb to limb? (Somebody must inform the ants that anger is a secondary emotion so they can, as a group, get to the bottom of their issues because, my God.)
But I have been obsessing over tiny homes for a long time, so even if it ended in an ant-Esque massacre, I needed to stay in one to get it out of my system.
Thankfully my husband left the weekend with all his brain cells, and the only trauma endured was by my right knee cap, which repeatedly smacked the loft ladder on my way up to our bed. My youngest daughter may have learned some colorful words, because each time I swore out loud and thought to myself, “This is it; this is how I die.”
Here is what I have come to believe in the last 5 years (since nobody asked or wondered), which has been reinforced by this pandemic. When we spend as much time as possible adventuring and playing out in the world, our spirits remain higher, and we can live happier with less. This can be as easy as playing fetch with your dog, walking for a few miles, reading in the sun, biking, or planting flowers.
We do not need all the stuff; we want it. We need air and sun and water. Like a quote I saw once, we are basically houseplants, only with more complicated emotions.
Being near to creation is essential to survival – both physically and emotionally- for our souls.
We also spent only three nights in the tiny house. A fourth would have likely resulted in the ant massacre scenario. So maybe it is also about moderation.
Let’s remember that as we enter into shorter days, meaning less sunlight and colder weather. Get all the outside time you possibly can to stay mentally healthy—a timely reminder as September is Suicide Awareness month.
Buy your light lamps, your lined leggings for walking/running outside, your healthiest food, and keep moving and hydrated.
And when even the best tools in your mental health tool kit aren’t working- please reach out for help. We need you here.
