Notes from the Hermitage

Living in this little space, cosy and comfortable in a basic sort of way. I thought when I started that I would learn a lot, and this is a report on what I am learning.

Living in a small, well-insulated space, I'm quite sure I am reducing my carbon footprint. Living so close to work that I don't have to drive, ditto. I can and do walk to yoga and food shopping and the doctor's office. But I drive long distances to see friends and have professional meetings. So far, one airplane trip, but it was all the way to the West Coast. Probably wiped out all the savings.

But the point is that living in a small space is having an impact on the way I live. There is no way to have a selection of places to leave piles of books or papers related to a variety of projects. Everything has to be put away every time, or it makes gridlock. I rely more on electronic files, and have gotten more paranoid about making sure they are backed up. No space for paper files.

I seem to have too many clothes, since the closets of my little place are full. And yes, there are still some things that are not being used, so they could be released into the possibility of other uses -- given to Goodwill. Everything must be put back in the closets, because there are no extra chairs on which to drape clothing that is between wearings. Clean enough to put away, or dirty enough to wash? There is no middle ground. I am not used to being so decisive about this matter.

And clearly, I have too many dishes, because they overflow the sink before I get around to washing them. Actually, it's the same as with the clothes -- everything must be used regularly to justify its place on the shelves, and it all needs to be put away soon after using. If they are in the sink, it's a very, very, short time until nothing can be done in the kitchen. And I can't (and don't really want to)eat out all the time!

I am tyrannized by the flow of material through my life. Everything must be disposed of right away -- trash in the trash bin, garbage in the mouse-and-skunk-proof frozen storage, recycling in the assortment of bins and bags in the back/front hall. The Sunday New York Times is more than enough newspaper -- I'm really surprised with myself not to have started a daily newspaper subscription. I don't even get the weekly Belfast paper, which would give me a lot of information not available elsewhere. But the packaging! Food and other things come wrapped in so much material that is otherwise useless, and I have no room to store it! Buying things with no wrapping is really appealing.

This is all very good for me, I think but let me warn you all: living in a smaller space will change you in ways you don't expect.

I think of someone I once knew who had been for a long time in the submarine service. Living alone, he found it hard to take up enough space to fill up a one-bedroom apartment. I think of people who really are monks. Of the young man who had been part of a household I joined when I went to seminary. When he finished his time helping in the world and was ready to go back to the monastery, he put his things into a backpack and left.

I suspect this sort of thing is not going to be great for the consumer economy. Maybe it will be great for those of us doing it. I wonder...