My neighbor and I have nearly identical houses built by the same builder, the same year, with the same floor plan – except for a few minor details. I was dog-sitting for him this week so I made a dozen visits to his home and spent several hours there.
The feeling of being in my house, yet not in my house is interesting. His house is jam packed with big furniture, household goods, toys and 2 massive dogs. It’s by no means a hoarder’s den – it is just filled with what you’d expect to see for a family of 2 adult and a small child.
My house, on the other hand, is spartan. After living in my micro camper for 2 months, I purposely only furnished my home with exactly what I needed – and that was not much. Over the past 4 years, I’ve added more stuff but still have a minimalistically furnished home.
In my neighbor’s home, I feel claustrophobic. There are drapes and curtains on all the windows. Floor space is limited. Big heavy furniture obscures the sliding glass doors and some of the windows.
My home, on the other hand, feels spacious, airy and open. It’s the most space I’ve ever had in a home.
When I was in his home yesterday, I started to think that my home must be bigger. There’s no way his master bedroom (where one dog hangs out in her crate) or his living room (where I hang out with the dogs) could be the same size as mine. They seem so…small.
So I noted the position of the windows and doors so I had markers to compare dimensions. When I returned to my home, sure enough, my windows and doors were in the same positions as his. Our homes are identical. His is just full and mine is empty.
My neighbor told me they’re having a second baby toward the end of this year. I’m thrilled for them. They are wonderful, loving parents and good people.
I have a sinking feeling they’ll be moving though. I can’t imagine they will try to raise 2 kids to adulthood in their home. They’ll want more space, I suspect. If I was them, I would want more space. Kids are loud and eventually get big.
If they move, it will be a bummer for me. I like having good neighbors. Hopefully they’ll find a place in the neighborhood and I’ll still see them around occasionally.