Life Lesson 'a la Oaxaca'

Smaller is really better. Less is really more… aka SIMPLICITY.

Time here has been spent not only getting acquainted with this beautiful, historical city filled with Mexican Flava, but also with la Casa Marisol. Prior to Oaxaca, our relationship lay within the boundries of fun transportation ... with an occasional sleepover. I had duped myself into believing that real living consisted of a foundation, 4 walls (Casa Majahua being the exception… wall-less is the way to go for beach living if you can pull it off like my MAPS), and some kind of roof. The bigger, the better… space to stretch and lay out all my pretty, pretty stuff. Long term living in Casa Marisol?!? Que? Imposible!

Turns out… Joke was on me.

I was the laughing stock of the (trailer) 'trash’ when I pulled into OTP (Oaxaca Trailer Park) with boxes, tires, massage table, and gigantic ice chest piled in the middle of my van. The only way I could sleep inside was to pull everything out each night. Efficiency at it's best!!!! As I look around at the organized set ups theses people had, I knew I had it all wrong...

and Two weeks later….

I live in a real Casa Marisol, with an abundance of living space, fancy new plaid walls, a comfy, almost queen sized bed, custom mosquito screens and plenty of room to move about my humble abode without falling over a pile of boxes on my front doorstep! Un Milagro! …

And what have we learned… that, yes, smaller really is better and less really is more. I have everything I need right here and right now (which does not include an oil lamp from the 1800s) in my small 10x10 space (minus my luxury, space taking items that consist of Trader Joe‘s foods and books.. but even with all that, I have plenty of space thanks to my savvy ‘Noah’ and plagiarized tricks from The Ark) and I am happier than I have ever been living in all the spaces I have lived in over the years. No big trips to the supermarket, no splurging of fancy home décor (despite the abundance of amazing Mexican art in Oaxaca), no excess. Simple… and the beachfront view, ain’t nothing to complain about…. God Bless the VW Westfalia.

(pre Remodel... notice pile of "stuff")