The Day We Could Finally Celebrate Being Free | Week 26 Post-layoff

TL;DR: After almost a week of waiting for the all-clear from our house buyers, yesterday we finally got it - and celebrated with our most community-connected day yet.

Bryan showed me the $12 broom he picked up at Home Depot. "Our broom was sold in the estate sale for $1 and now we have to buy a new one for $12 to clean the house we just sold," he said, laughing and shaking his head.

Welcome to the glamorous reality of post-estate sale life.

Monday was supposed to be our victory lap - turning over our "forever" house to the new owners, officially closing that chapter. Instead, we spent six hours (not the expected four) cleaning up after an estate sale that looked "like a tornado went through there." Hair under furniture that hadn't moved in nine years, wall dings, floor gouges, and apparently, a missing broom.

This Week's Reality Check:

• ✓ Spent six hours deep-cleaning our previous "house-showing" clean house (estate sales are messy!)
• ✓ Waited five days for the new owners' approval to get our deposit back
• ✓ Met more neighbors in one morning walk in the tiny home community than we did in nine years of traditional homeownership
• ✓ Bought indoor cameras to help our dogs with separation anxiety (community bingo night!)

What We're Actually Doing:

Living in Limbo (And Why That's Harder Than Moving Week)

Tuesday through Friday felt strange. We'd handed over the keys, but we were still technically responsible for the house until July 3rd and had to wait for the new owners to give us the all-clear. Every time my phone buzzed, I wondered: "Is this the text saying something's wrong?"

The waiting was harder than all those chaotic moving weeks. At least during the move, we were doing something. This week felt like holding our breath.

"Really would like to hear something from our agent," I told Bryan Tuesday, after he dropped off the forgotten garage door opener at our agent's office. Bryan asked him about our leaseback deposit and learned we had to wait for the new owners' approval of how we left the house.

Meanwhile, we drove past the house down the street from our sold house that was listed at the same time as ours, for the same price. It was still sitting there with its for-sale sign, as prime selling season is winding down.

"We're feeling very blessed," we said out loud that evening.

The IT Struggles Nobody Warns You About

Wednesday was catch-up day - or supposed to be. Instead, we spent hours trying to set up Bryan's VPN and connect the printer in our 399-square-foot temporary rental.

"Sometimes it feels like you have to take a few steps backwards before life returns to normal," I said, after the printer still wouldn't cooperate despite multiple reboots of the internet, computer and the printer. Oh well, we can print from the computer in the closet, so that's enough for now.

It's funny how in a regular house, you just set up your office wherever. In a tiny home, every device has to earn its place and actually work in the space you've got. A community member we met gave us practical advice about cleaning the mini-split AC line to prevent water damage - the kind of tip you only get from people who've actually lived this life.

Community in Action

Friday brought one of Bryan's best friends for a visit - our third guest in the tiny home community. My mom and sister visited last weekend and we were excited to show off not just our temporary rental, but this whole new way of living.

"I think it's really neat!" he told us. There's something validating about having people you care about be able to actually see what we've been describing and talking about for 9 months and understand why you made this intentional choice.

But today - Saturday - was the day everything clicked.

Freedom Day

Our morning dog walk turned into an impromptu neighborhood meet-and-greet. Four community members stopped to chat - one who's been here since the beginning, two who moved in about a year and a half ago, and one who arrived just last week. They couldn't have been more welcoming.

"We've met and talked to more neighbors here than we did in nine years at our traditional house," Bryan observed as we walked back to our tiny rental.

Three of them live close to where our permanent tiny home will be placed. I love that so many neighbors sit on their porches in the mornings and evenings, waving to anyone who acknowledges them. It feels like the community we never knew we were missing.

After the farmer's market visit we want to make a new ritual, we picked up some indoor cameras at Walmart. Tonight is the community's monthly bingo night, and we want to see how our girls handle being alone in this new space. Separation anxiety prep in 399 square feet requires strategy.

And then, around lunchtime, came the moment we'd been waiting for all week: the text from our agent. The new homeowners confirmed everything was perfect with the house. We could finally, officially, celebrate being free.

The Real Transition

People ask us if we miss the house, if we regret downsizing, if this feels real yet. The honest answer is that this week wasn't about any of those big questions. We settled any of those questions before we even listed the house. It was about learning to live in the space between ending and beginning.

We saw a quote this week that perfectly captured what we're experiencing: 'True transformation occurs when you stop searching for quick fixes and start embracing the slow, steady, and often uncomfortable journey of real change.' That's exactly what this week was - no quick fixes for the anxiety of waiting, no shortcuts through the liminal space. Just learning to breathe in the uncomfortable middle.

The old house responsibilities are now officially over. The new community connections are just starting. And for the first time in months, we can exhale completely.

Tonight we'll play bingo with our new neighbors while watching our dogs on camera, seeing how they adjust to this life we're all building together.

Let's Talk:

• What's the longest you've had to wait for something important to officially end?
• Have you ever been surprised by how quickly you connected with a new community?

Here's to finally being free to celebrate, -Kathy & Bryan

This post is part of our Midlifehood Transition series, documenting our journey from traditional homeowners to tiny home living after an unexpected layoff. Follow along Follow along for real-time updates as we move into the tiny home rental this week on Facebook and Instagram as we navigate this life change together.