Living small in a big way and a big world....

I have always been somewhat larger than life, not in stature, of course, but in presence. I am a writer, a dancer, singer, and performer. My life changed drastically about four years ago (2012 to be exact), when I discovered I had CVID Common Variable Immunodeficiency), an autoimmune disorder that I was born with (I was a sickly child).

It didn't have a name before. They called it celiac disease, but it wasn't. I learned to cope, and did okay throughout my teens and later 20s, until it sneaked behind me and smacked me in the back of the head in my late 30s and 40s, I did okay. That is what CVID typically does. It's sneaky.

I was one of those people you snidely say to, "Oh, you're always sick." Next time, maybe you should think about that. Could there be a reason? In my case, yes. My immune system simply refuses to work.

They knew I had immunity problems as a child, but unless you had zero immunities (SCID or Severe Combined Immunodeficiency), they really didn't know what to think. Now I know. I can't work outside the home, or I get sick. On contact. I get MRSA infections which could kill me. They tried to give me IgG therapy (Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy) where you borrow immunities from others. It fried my brain. Despite this, TWO different doctors tried to force me to continue to use this extremely costly, dangerous infusion therapy. I learned later they get kickbacks from the drug companies offering it. After I had an anaphylactic shock reaction and almost died, I decided this was not working for me.

After a bit, my cognitive function, which had hit the road, came back. I could write and function again. I could be normal again. I just couldn't be "normal." I can't go out to eat, or to big family gatherings. Stores are breeding grounds for germs. I have masks I wear in hospitals and doctor's offices. Not for them--for me. I must isolate. I must minimize. And so, I am.

My illness has led me to realize I need to find a way to be alone but content and happy. I am alone. I do get lonely. I am working on resolving that in ways I have not yet discovered. A lover who wanted to come visit and then live... now that would work. But that's a dream scenario.

But I will do it. I do much better, health-wise, in the desert. So I am buying a plot of land and will be putting a small cabin on it. And I do mean small. That means all the trappings of my 52 years must be gone through carefully. There won't be room, and I am not a hoarder. I intend to live minimally. I will have a cookstove, a toaster/confectioner oven, a shower and bath, a loft sleeping room and a main living area. That's it. Hidden storage is something I am looking at. I am pouring over tiny house plans. And I have been watching fascinating stories about people living in tiny, tiny houses. We only need so much, really, to survive. I can do this. And so I will. I offer to you today, a story on minimalist living. Seven Ways to Sample Living With Less 

And the cabin that will become my home.

I will share my journey as I make it, and certainly am happy to offer more links and ideas. Minimal does not mean lifeless and without joy. I can't wait to build a fire pit and put in chairs, and spend time with friends in my little big world.

Living small in a big way. Join me in the journey.