(A)
How much space do you need to be happy? Part of the
American story is that bigger is better, and with cheap credit
and tax breaks for home buyers, it’s tempting to stretch one’s
finances to build or buy a larger house. My grandpa Otto
chose a different path. (a) He didn’t want to find himself
working longer and longer hours just to pay for more space
and the stuff to fill it. He grew up in a farming community
and within a very large family, so living simply was integral
to his life philosophy.
(B)
Yet my grandpa loved his little home and was content with
what he had. Even though the house was small, it didn’t feel
cramped. As my dad said, “Everyone was happy and content.
The size of the house didn’t matter.” My grandpa taught me
that living a simple life isn’t about self-deprivation. Instead,
it’s about giving yourself the time, freedom, and money to
pursue your dreams. In many ways, I’ve modeled my life after
that of my grandpa. I learned from (b) him that simplicity
isn’t about austerity. It’s a revolution in personal growth.
(C)
In the 1950s, when my dad was a little boy, my grandpa
built a 600-square-foot cottage. (c) He put the twenty-bythirty-
foot structure on a small plot of land in Pleasant Hill.
Dad remarked, “Reusing and recycling was a necessity. In
essence, (d) he was recycling before it became ‘cool.’”
Grandpa got most of the materials for his little house from
the Oakland docks, where he was working. It took four years
to build the small cottage, and when they moved in, the roof
wasn’t even on!
(D)
My dad recalled looking up at the stars in the roofless
house as a twelve-year-old kid before falling asleep. Dad
didn’t mind living in an unfinished house. (e) He described
Pleasant Hill as “open and private. It felt like all the homes
were on ten acres.” Over the years, my dad and grandpa
noticed dramatic changes in their community. Each year
more farmland was devoured to build strip malls and
neighborhoods with larger homes. As real estate prices rose,
many of their neighbors sold their homes and lots. Soon my
grandpa had the only small house on the block, surrounded
by a sea of homes four times the size of his dwelling.