Dee Williams.
You heard of her? I can’t imagine that you have but I came across the coolest article while browsing around. She is a resident of Olympia, WA living “the tiny-house way.” Her home is a mere 84 square feet. Her bedroom is lofted above a small kitchen counter and sitting area. Waking up in the morning, she climbs down a skinny ladder, pours water from a ceramic jug to make tea on her single-burner stovetop, and then proceeds to mimic a shower with the leftover hot water. Dee has been living this lifestyle for the past decade. “The corncob-pipe lifestyle has worked nice for me,” she says, “For others, it might push them beyond bending to breaking.”
William’s home has no running water or refrigerator, which means she composts her waste and keeps perishables such as beer and milk (the essentials, or what?) in a blue cooler under her front porch.
William’s owned a three bedroom house prior. Now she loves having fewer belongings and expenses. She doesn’t have a mortgage, or an electricity bill, because she uses solar power. She didn’t build her wee little home 10 years ago to save money. It was due to a medical condition to be closer to friends who could help her. She spent around ten grand on the materials needed to construct a cedar-clad, eco-friendly home— on wheels. In order to avoid possible building code restrictions, it was necessary. She shares a common backyard with friends, and pays them a small amount each month to utilize their water and other household facilities.
Dee says, “We get sidetracked by the size of things. I know it seems weird to live in a smaller space in a community with people like this, but it works for me.”
The library has become her bookshelf. The laundromat has become her laundry room.
“I love the spot I’m at. I don’t want to move.”
It really makes you think about what you need to live. The line between what you want and what you need is invisible to most of us, so we make up where we think it should be. We idolize a lot of people that have what we don’t, like celebrities, but should we instead be working towards being like Dee Williams?
Food for thought.