This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation between writer Jennifer Jane and her mom, Jane Post. It has been edited for length and clarity.
After moving out of the home I loved and lived in for 31 years, it took me a few years to settle on a housing situation that suited me. I was used to living alone and liked it, but my home became too much work and responsibility once I reached my mid-70s, and I needed something different.
I lived with a friend for a few months, then moved across the country from Florida to New York in 2020 to live with my older daughter for a couple of years. However, neither of those arrangements was the right fit for me.
I call my small mobile home ‘The Teapot’
I left New York and moved back to Florida without a plan. My younger daughter offered me a mobile home on her property to stay in while I figured it out. I moved in and didn’t move out. It felt just right. It is small and easy for me to take care of. It’s the perfect size to fit the things I hold dear. I call it “The Teapot.”
I have always loved teapots. I once read a story about a retired Colonel who bought a very tiny cottage in England that had belonged to a little old lady who used it as a tearoom for walkers that wandered by. It was so small that it had just one tiny table and two chairs. The Colonel said it was like living in a teapot. I recalled this story when I stepped into the mobile home, and I knew I had at last found my home sweet home…The Teapot.
I like nearly everything about living in my Teapot. Old people often have balance issues… if I lose my balance, I always have a nearby wall, table, or counter to bounce off of. The only thing I don’t like is that there aren’t enough electrical outlets.
I share my home with my animals, and everything I love is close by
I share my little home with a cast of characters: Penny, the tubby brown mystery mutt mix; Choccy, the chihuahua who has difficulty walking due to old age; Little Thing, a three-legged tiny chihuahua mix; Pinkie, the cat; Agatha Raisin, the bantam chicken; Sarose, her evilness, a seabrite chicken; Jaeger, the barn cat; and then there’s me, the human who does their bidding. My animals bring a huge amount of joy into my small space.
My day begins around 5 am when I start taking care of my animals. I take the ones with special needs outside one by one. I feed and water them. I make my tea. I take Penny for a walk, then put the chickens outside in their pen. I make more tea. I feed and water the wild birds.
I spend the afternoon doing whatever I want. It’s heavenly to sit and watch the birds at the feeders, just six feet away, and sip tea. Everything I want is close by and easy to reach. There is a stack of books sitting on a table to be read.
There are shallow boxes of fossilized shells on top of the two chickens’ indoor overnight pen. I love looking through the shells, thinking about how to make them into lovely works of art. I can’t do that if they are in a box out of sight. I have made many beautiful things in my small world. I think the smallness helps me to focus and be even more creative.
I love that my two great-grandsons, ages 4 and 8, who live nearby, enjoy visiting my little enchanted world. They pop in and out to spend time with me and my collection of little creatures. They feel the magic and love the Teapot as I do.
My home makes me feel happy, even in difficult times
I was very ill recently, and all I could manage was to feed all my animals and get them in and out, then I had to go back to bed, too sick to read or watch a movie. As I lay there, I really felt as if the Teapot was giving me comfort like a warm hug. I could look around and see, with one glance, all the things I hold dear that bring me happy memories.
When you get old, the list of things you’ll never get to do, have, or own might seem never-ending, and past memories are your lifeline. Every memory I’ve fit into my little home brings me happiness and comfort.
Living in a small space is not for everyone, but for me, the Teapot is heaven on Earth. I’m in my 80s now. My younger daughter is nearby if I need anything or want company, but I am able to live independently in a way that works for me. I can have everything that’s important to me at this time of my life — family, freedom from the responsibilities and demands of home ownership, my animals, privacy, peace, and most everything I love at my fingertips.
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