Making a Little Space Here

The summer after I married Trevor, we planned a trip to Mexico. Trevor would study Spanish, putting him a few credits closer to finishing his International Studies degree. I would tag along, practicing Spanish and auditing a Mexican culture class to use in teaching my 6th grade Spanish class.

We packed light and set up our temporary home in what must have been 200-square foot studio apartment. In that apartment our belongings were limited to two place settings of plastic dishes, two sets of silverware, a frying pan, a spatula, a stirring spoon, a knife, a set of sheets, a fan and a weeks worth of clothes, and the odds and ends we needed for school.

From the roof of our apartment we could see and hear Las Olas Altas, the nearby beach. We were within walking distance of the market, the library, and a little park. We had access to restaurants and the bus. We spent our mornings at the school, our afternoons napping and going to the beach, and our weekends travelling via bus, scooter, and slug bug.

Fast forward six and a half years to today. I'm looking at the piles of toys and books and clutter littering my living room floor and longing for that summer, for that time when we owned nothing, but had everything. I'm reminded that "stuff" doesn't bring happiness. Living your life is what actually makes life rich - so I'm clearing out in an attempt to make more room for quiet, for laughter and for happiness in general.