Contracting out has a bit of a bad buzz going on right now, but lately I’ve been thinking about it in different terms. I’ve been mulling over public versus private space and how I can best take advantage of the outside world to complement our downsizing plan.

Because it would seem that we are only a few steps away from the next phase of Living Light. 

The remodelling of the apartment is almost done. We’ve finished painting every bit of the interior. The fireplace and the kitchen backsplash are sporting new tile, the cupboards in the kitchen and both bathrooms are new. It is looking showroom-shiny and it will soon be listed with a really cute Realtor that I know.

After it sells, we will be looking for one-bedroom place. Friends that live in largish homes are a little aghast that we don’t seem to realize that this two-bedroom 1000 sq ft apartment is already small. But in world terms, I don’t think so. It’s just that we’re all (myself included) used to living in SuperSizeMe mode.

In spite of my commitment to this ideal, I’m still not quite sure how we’re going to pull it off. It’s definitely going to take a little work to figure out, which is why I’m looking outside our home for extra space (preferably for free!)

I’ve started doing a little of this already. When I tell Kevin that I’m going down to ‘my office’, he knows that I’m taking my laptop and iPhone to the coffee shop beneath our building.  Voila, suddenly I am in possession of a huge office with great coffee and a nice buzz.

Years ago we lived in a huge house. Besides the main living space of 3800 sq ft, there was over 1000 sq ft of deck. On that deck was a hot tub that was a royal pain to keep up. Here? I waltz down to the 3rd floor, cross the courtyard with the nice reflecting pool and sink into an impeccably clean hot tub, next to the large lap pool and steam room. I never have to test the pH, scrub the tub or wonder if the pipes are going to freeze.

That same big house had one room with a rather dated pile of gym equipment. Here? I go one flight up from the pool area and try to decide which piece of new equipment to use first. Our next apartment might not have these amenities but there are lots of recreational centres that could easily fill the gap.

My hope is that by living light we might actually end up living large.

My goal is to find more and more ways to outsource space. I am working on a list of what the public domain offers so that we don’t think we need to own it. My list is expanding daily…

• Libraries for quiet reading and writing space.
• Churches for meditation space.
• Community gardens and other green spaces instead of private yards.
• Parks and trails for trail therapy.
• Bike lanes so we only need one car.
• Coffee shops for office space.
• Restaurants for dinner parties.
• Community centres for gym/pool access

I am seeking other solutions. Any other suggestions/ideas are welcome and very appreciated.

I think we’re going to need all the help we can get.