Embracing Tiny Home Living: Wisdom and Challenges from a Life Vision Realized on a Remote Ranch

Between visits to the park, getting lost in the garden, camping, and hiking trips, ever since I was a kid we had ongoing visits to my uncles’ mesmerizing ranch in Idaho. Every time I’d visit I’d learn that it’s possible to live without tv, the internet and, as I grew older, cell reception. I learned how profoundly loud mother nature was when you chose to get quiet enough to listen. And as the days of our visits would go on, I’d witness the grit, determination, and love that it took to choose to live in such a remote place.

After my uncle passed and left his ranch to our family, my relationship out west blossomed even further. For years I’d go on life-changing solo retreats and rejuvenating visits with my husband. It ignited my quest to become a cowgirl and woodworking hobby – following my uncle’s footsteps and feeling the joy surge through me as a result.

For years, I’ve found myself yearning for those mountains.

Yearning to disconnect from technology to reconnect with my humanity. Yearning to gain wisdom from nature without a timeline or deadline to get back to. Yearning to take the trails less traveled on horseback. Yearning for a simpler life – the way we were designed to be.

That yearning became a clear vision that my husband, James, and I shared with great passion. The vision was to make the 180 jump from our Baltimore city rowhouse to a 200-square-foot off-the-grid tiny home on my family’s 100-acre ranch. We knew we couldn’t keep visiting just a few times a year and leaving with an aching in our souls for more. That “one day when we’re retired” dream of living there could not be put off for a few more decades.

After some wild choices, big investments, and a confident leap of faith, that vision became a reality! And as with every hero’s journey, it was not without its challenges.

Here are the greatest 5 pieces of wisdom gained as a result of owning a tiny home – making our dreams and unexpected nightmares come true.

Tiny Home Wisdom #1 – You really don’t need all that stuff.

I know you THINK you need to have all the gadgets, keepsakes, outfits, technology, and whatnot, but you really don’t. We have a shocking amount of storage space in our tiny home, but it’s still about 100 times smaller than what we have in our city home. It’s helped us to cherish every item we bring into the house and commit to keeping things simple. Everything that makes its way in will truly be considered a treasure. And I much prefer to live that way over having a bunch of shit in storage in my basement that I may or may not even remember owning.

Minimalism is now our jam. Less really does feel like more.

Tiny Home Wisdom #2 – Tiny feels HUGE!

200 square feet scares most people. While I was definitely holding my breath when I first stepped inside, I quickly exhaled because of how spacious it felt. Our home is primarily made of gigantic windows, so it feels like you’re outside, even though you’re clearly in. I felt that in a big way when a mountain lion walked directly in front of our bedroom window on her evening stroll.

I feel the expansion from inside our tiny home when waking with the sunrise, feeling the house shake as it dances with thunder, watching animals graze and trek through the trails, and seeing the stars and moon appear with such glittery confidence.

Check out this video if you want my tiny cribs tour!

Tiny Home Wisdom #3-  A vision becoming reality does not guarantee happiness.

What started off as a divine vision realized quickly spiraled into darkness. Within days, I faced my own scary mental health issues, had an abrupt and unexpected loss of my dream of having an apprentice, and had to evacuate from our property because of life-threatening fires.

The vision I had put all my “eggs into the basket of” was torn to shreds. I had always felt peace on this property and instead I was filled with fear, grief, and sadness.  While fires are common, it’s not common to have them so close that firemen have set up sprinkler systems on our property where they anticipated its arrival.

 I learned fast that it’s not always about resting once you reach the proverbial mountain top – sometimes you need to climb the next peak immediately in order to survive. You must let go of trying to control it and allow an evolved vision to appear.

Tiny Home Wisdom #4 – Igniting your values will save your mental health and overall well-being.

I wouldn’t have made it through with any sense of wholeness if it weren’t for my cowgirl experiences during this time. My soul sister and cattlewoman mentor, Chyenne, made sure to get me in the saddle and on the move with her on mountainsides, rivers, meadows, and ranches.

I met beautiful souls, connected with powerful horses, and took adventures I never would have imagined were possible that were a “normal day’s work” out there.

Every time I ride with my uncle’s perfectly fitting saddle, I feel like I get to ride with him. It further ignited my values of spirituality, connection, and unity with nature.

Tiny Home Wisdom #5 – Faith is greater than hope.

Hope is being optimistic things will work out. Faith is having confidence in knowing the outcome will serve you. Through it all, the greatest wisdom has been gained from brewing deeper levels of faith.

As this manmade fire rages beyond 100,000 acres, I am moving through grief for its destruction. The wildlife killed. The firefighters who died. And the heaviness that it brings in reminds us of how quickly something you depend on can be taken away.

My faith has empowered me to shed the fear and step into the knowing that whatever is meant to happen will. And I’ll be guaranteed the opportunity to evolve, strengthen and expand to brew more wisdom through whatever presents itself. One step at a time, without judgment of pace.