When I moved back to Ontario in 2019 from British Columbia I lived with my daughter and her family for a few months while I got myself oriented to the new city I had landed in. I put my name on the waiting list for a seniors residence that was located in a perfect location and was affordably priced to fit with my budget. Unfortunately, when I was ready to move out on my own there was not an opening so I rented a room in a house temporarily until my name came up. Then I had to move again to another location temporarily. Finally in December 2023 an opening came available and I was able to make a more permanent move into the seniors residence. By then my patience for moving was almost exhausted.

Moving can be tediaous and disorienting at the best of times and having to move four times in five years was very disconcerting. Still each time I moved I learned something new and oriented myself to my current location. I created a space which felt like home even for a short time.

I learned some important things.

• Having a comfortable place to sleep is the number one priority so get it set up first
• Next set up your bathroom so you know where to find your bare necessities
• Keep your dishes and kitchenware to a maximum of 4 when you live alone in a small space
• Linens take up a lot of space so keep only what you use all the time and get rid of the rest
• Make sure you have things sorted before you move so it is easy to find things at the other end
• If someone asks you if they can help let them know some prepared meals would be great

When looking at bunch of tulips I have sitting on my table I likened my experience to them. They begin as bulbs in soil, then are cut and transported to a store where they are gathered in bunches and placed in a pail of water waiting for someone to bring them home. Finally I found them, brought them to my home where they were placed in a beautiful container of water and provided a lovely display of colour. Soon their time in the vase will be finished and they will drop their petals. I can gather those petals up and form a shape with them. The tulips are then transformed into something new and just as colourful.

So it is with my new more permanent home. After the initial move there was an aftermath that took some getting used. I had just had cataract surgery and was exhausted so my friends all came to help me unpack. It was wonderful to have so many people show up and offer their time and assistance. It also made getting oriented into my new place a little harder because I did not know where to find things. So I took my time and waited.

Getting Oriented into a New Home

There were boxes still needing to be unpacked and things needing to find a new home that I no longer had use for. I wanted to get organized and settled quickly and at the same time just needed to rest. Moving so many times left me feeling uneasy about whether this was going to be my last move or not. It took me almost three months to finally trust that I was home and could take my time settling in and creating the space I truly wanted my home to be. No matter where my petals fall a beautiful image is being created.

So I followed my own advice:

• Take your time to live in a place and see how you move about before putting things away
• Give yourself a few treats like meals out so you can get a fresh perspective when you come home
• Have a vase on the table ready for a bunch of flowers and bring yourself home some
• Candles at night help to give a natural glow to a place even when there are boxes all around
• Make sure you make room to display your most prized possessions because that brings you joy
• Only keep the clothes you are wearing on a regular basis when you are short on storage space
• Make sure you have live plants and room by a window to display them

I now live in a 500 square foot studio apartment so it has been a learning experience to find out what works best in living in a small space. I am loving the simplicity of it for one thing. I am also working on how to organize my storage closets while making things easily accessible. It takes time and patience.

What advice do you have for small space living? I would love to hear it.