When I lived in a shepherd’s bothy on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland, I woke up every morning to this stunning view. I could see the blue of the sea stretching out underneath the Dutchman’s cap and a small path that curved down a rocky slope that would lead me to the hostel. It was a profound pleasure to wake up in my own private retreat tucked away from the world. The bothy was very simple, with just a few pieces of furniture, but it was beautiful and cozy, and it had everything I needed. My perspective about living spaces started to shift.

Traveling for 15 months with nothing but the clothes that could fit into a 55-liter backpack also changed my thinking. I started to look at things as weight. If I bought something, I would have to carry it. My things became literal weight and emotional weight. Every item I carried was known, useful and required. I can’t tell you how freeing this was. I began to imagine how I could continue this type of life back home. I mentally started to walk down the road towards minimalism, and I haven’t looked back. This journey culminated in the building of my tiny house in 2017, which is a space that the popular YouTube channel ‘Living Big in a Tiny House’ documented on their latest episode.

Spending the day filming the episode with Bryce Langston (host and creator) and his partner Rasa Pescud (videographer/photographer) was incredibly fun! I feel like my house is this living, breathing art project that I created and get to live in, so sharing it with people who appreciate the care and energy I’ve invested in it is such a treat. Watching the show for the first time last Saturday was kind of surreal. I loved seeing what they chose to include and highlight in the show, from the big things like my hidden shower to the small details like the dahlia I had picked fresh from the yard that morning.

I also had no idea how many times we would need to film a scene. Because Rasa is a one-woman crew, she films everything from different angles so it seems like the show is being captured by multiple cameras. Rasa filmed me making my pour-over coffee about 20 times to get the right effect. (Good thing we all wanted a lot of coffee that day!) Each episode looks effortless and beautiful, but let me tell you how much work goes into 17 minutes of effortless beauty. A HELL OF A LOT. They arrived at my house at about 9:30 am and didn’t leave until after 5 pm.

As I shared my story and what led me to build my tiny, I realized afresh that there is SO much in minimalism that echoes pilgrimage. Simplicity, being present… letting go of things you don’t need. Tony and I started Pilgrim Lost with a desire to have conversations just like the one Bryce and I were having as we filmed. 

Bryce and Rasa graciously agreed to come back a few days later so we could have that big and tiny conversation with the microphones turned on. If you haven’t had a chance to listen in, you can find it here. It is fascinating to peel back the layers of the tiny movement and what drives us towards minimalism, simplicity and ultimately, for me at least, the freedom to fill our lives with things that inspire us, rather than weigh us down. This is what pilgriming is all about.