I have a dear friend who lives in a very large house with her husband. They have four bedrooms, three baths, a living room and a family room, a kitchen, eating area and dining room, a basement…..and a screened gazebo in the backyard for outdoor living. It’s a lovely place, and it’s filled with all sorts of unique and interesting items, some from their extensive international travels.

Over the past year, they both suffered serious health problems. Fortunately they’re recovering. But they decided against any international vacations this year, and instead just spent a week in a lake cottage in the next state.

I can’t get over how much they loved that one-bedroom cottage. They raved about its great room, its screened porch and its proximity to the beach. They loved the outdoor shower that let them rinse off the sand after a day in the waves. My friend says they ate simple meals each day for breakfast and lunch, went out to dinner each evening, and went for a few scenic drives. Otherwise, they just relaxed.

Now they’re back home. I haven’t talked to my friend since the day after their return, but I just have this feeling that a week of the simple life made their large and very full house seem a bit overwhelming to them when they got back.

The fact is that you can live in a place for years without realizing that it’s far more house than you need. At least not until you get a taste of the simple life, and then you may find that a simpler life is usually a better one.

I’ll be interested to see if my friend brings this up sometime soon.