"Are you happy?"

A dear friend asked me this today as she sat in Hella looking around for the first time. It takes about 2 minutes to tour this little house! I had just seen her home for the first time a couple of hours previous and the contrast between the two couldn't have been greater. I'm not sure why she asked me that in that moment, but my answer came immediately and without doubt or hesitation. Yes, I am happy. As a matter of fact, I have never been so happy in all my life. There is no sacrifice in what I'm doing with my life. Quite the contrary really. It may be hard for some to believe me when they see my 60 square foot home in person for the first time. What many don't get is that my life is not contained in this little space, (though I know she gets it), I simply eat and sleep here. I live out in the world. One of my favorite aspects of this lifestyle is how it relentlessly thrusts me out into the world around me. Hella is comfortable and a nice place to awaken in the morning and wrap a day. But, I definitely do not 'live' in here! I rest here. I cook here. My few possessions are here. I dream and plan here. But the doing of life is all around me. I never know for sure where I will land each day and that inspires me deeply. It's a steady reminder of the reality that change is the only constant in life. That each and every day could be my last. It is an amazing gift to live in that flow the way I get to and it suits me very well. I think that for me now, the home I aspire to build is one of connection with my fellow humans and the world around me. And this tiny rolling box I call my home is the perfect vehicle to build that empire of love.