On Simplicity

I measured my bedroom the other day... ten feet wide by twelve and a half feet long. Not very big, but I live comfortably enough.

I was busy modifying a set of plans for a new home designed by my boss. In answer to a request to return as close as possible to the original budget, he simply decided to move large elements of the house inward and thus reduce the total square footage price...

The idea seemed simple enough in theory, yet the actual execution was another story, especially with a whole set of plans that were already finished. The relocation of the east wall four feet to the west actually didn't cost too many brain cells, but when I got to the basement floor plan, I realized I would have to totally revamp nearly half of the original layout...

A few forehead wrinkles later, I had come up with the simplest, most sensible solution that didn't deviate too much from the original intent. One of the bedrooms was quite reduced in width, but I figured that if a tall body like me could survive in a 125 square foot room, then just about any future resident could survive well enough in a 166 square foot room... even if it was a wierd L-shape!

I'd like to think that a better solution was possible... but in this instance, moving a foundation wall or two was really out of the question...

Such experiences cause me to ponder on my current lifestyle and the little niches, here and there, that form the world in which I live. I figure that the whole of my territory isn't more than ten square miles; though I don't have a car, I rarely venture very far with friends anyway... My bedroom, as you now know, isn't huge, but it houses my books, my drawings, my shoes, my ties, and my clothes...

Everything has its place, and thank goodness... this simple-minded fellow can only focus on one thing at a time! I enjoy keeping my world simple... the other things, people, and places in the larger world that surround my small one thus have a more tangible value and presence.

... Anything else just might be chaos...