I’m fairly convinced that my house is getting smaller…
I remember when we first moved in – that I’d consider taking reserves on the journey from the kitchen to the living room. Compared to the flats, basements and spare rooms we’d lived in where we’d almost literally be living on top of each other, this house appeared palatial. But the reality is that this isn’t a mansion. It’s a small terraced house. Although (after extensive measuring) I can confirm that it’s not getting smaller.
The problem doesn’t lie in bricks and mortar – the rooms aren’t shrinking. It’s us. We’re getting bigger. Since moving into this house our family has grown 33% in number and in mass at least a million %. It’s not my waistline (I’m working hard at that – though it’s harder in my 30s than in my 20s). It’s these boys who are growing so fast it’s hard not to be just a little be afraid. But, it’s their toy entourage that has really finished this little house off. Accessories, toys and artwork come in faster than we can get rid of anything. There’s a lot more in than out and we have long reached a tipping point. I think I tried to battle against the stuff for a while but now I’ve given up a little bit and really I’m just hoping to protect a cleanish space on a chair to watch Match of the Day.
Soon we hope to move to another house. And this one we hope to own. It’s been a long journey up to this point and we still have some way to go. This house will be a bit bigger but I don’t think the antidote to the ever increasing piles of stuff is more space. Life is full and getting more full all the time – Adlai informed me that tomorrow he will make me a boat at school – I’m not sure where on earth we are going to put that. Space is probably overrated anyway so I think I’ll embrace artwork and toys, and chalk it up to the season we’re in hoping it doesn’t go too fast.
