The Final Countdown: Trash Miracles, Clean Sheets & a New Life | Week 32 - Post layoff

The year of the wait continues, but now, it’s also the year of the final countdown. We’re in the last few weeks of living in this tiny rental, with our own new tiny home scheduled to be delivered on Monday Aug. 25th! The chaos of our long transition is still real, but now it's mixed with a feeling of excitement and anticipation as we look forward to the life we've been dreaming of and working toward.

The Small Joys and Big Wins

It's amazing how this new, simpler life brings out the joy in the smallest things. Like this week when Bryan was looking for a serrated knife belonging to the tiny rental that we used to cut our Banh Mi sandwiches. He couldn’t find it. I remembered seeing it in the to-go container, and since he had taken out the trash the night before, he went to see if it was in the trash bag. He said it brought back memories of getting a call while working at the restaurant from someone who had thrown away a retainer or keys. When something accidentally got thrown away at the restaurants we knew that, likely, it was gone forever. But this week, he was lucky, and he found the knife in the trash!

Then, there’s the incredible feeling of clean laundry and clean dogs. Earlier this month, and yesterday, we went to my mom's house, and it felt like we were back in college—doing laundry at mom’s. It's great when the dogs are clean and the sheets and blankets are clean at the same time. We finalized the purchased and scheduled delivery of our new washer and dryer to arrive the beginning of September. We’re really looking forward to having our own washer and dryer again! The last 58 days of living in the tiny rental without the convenience of a washer and dryer made me realize this is something I took for granted all those years when we did have one. I think I'll remember these tiny rental living days and appreciate the ability to do laundry anytime!

The Practicalities of the Final Countdown

This week has been full of small, meaningful wins that are bringing us closer to our new home. The builder is feeling good about the 25th being delivery day, so we are now coordinating utility hook-ups for gas, electric, and internet. We were also finally able to pull the trigger on our furniture purchases. We saved money on all of our items thanks to a sale that the store hadn't run in three years! We have a real feeling of pride in making intentional choices for our smaller space, which is an amazing feeling.

We're also in the middle of making a big decision on the washer and dryer. Should we get a 24" or 27" wide? After talking to neighbors and one of the community owners, we decided to order the 24-inch as the safe bet until we can get into our house and measure our actual space. The good news? We can change it before it's delivered if we determine that the larger one will work.

The Personal Side of the Journey

This week also brought a great reminder of why we’re doing all of this. I had to go to Dallas for a doctor's appointment for a spider bite. In my old life, it would have been difficult to break away for an appointment and then have to rush back to work. My blood pressure would always be high upon arriving at the doctor's office because I was always rushing and stressed. But this time was different. My blood pressure was lower, my weight was lower, and we didn't have to rush anywhere. In fact, we went out of our way to get those awesome banh mi sandwiches on the way home. It's satisfying and gratifying to be able to do deep focus work and get things done--but while also taking care of ourselves.

Conclusion

Yes, the chaos of this year of waiting has been real. But the rewards have been even more incredible. We're realizing how much fuller and richer life can be when you "find your people" who have common values and goals and have time to enjoy aspects of work and life that may have been a blur before. From trash miracles and clean sheets to being able to take care of ourselves and each other without feeling rushed, we are already living a new life even before we get into our new home. We're finally in "The Final Countdown"!

If our story resonates with you and you're also on a journey to find your freedom, be sure to join our community.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more exclusive stories, insights, and a deeper look at our Midlifehood journey to Less Hustle, More Life.

• Kathy & Bryan