It's all about the stuff

Why only a month? It's the most common question I've gotten about the houseboat.

On the practical side, it would be better for me to rent one place for a longer period of time instead of moving every month or two. However, I didn't feel right committing to a year-long lease because of the uncertainty of my work situation (more on that in a future post). Plus, I saw every single houseboat and floating home rental available on Lake Union. This houseboat was the only short term rental. The owners used the rent as a subsidy for their vacation to Greece. Regardless, one month is a good amount of time to embrace the houseboat living experience without committing to it over the upcoming predicted-cold winter. It is only October and the place is already chilly.

Most of the floating homes and houseboats that I saw came furnished and/or were too small to store more than one or two boxes worth of things. Everything that I own and moved from Los Angeles is currently in storage somewhere with the movers. It has been 3 months of living out of a suitcase. I'm a little tired of it. This experience has taught me that I get comfort from being surrounded by my stuff.

When I was moving up to Seattle, and all of my things were boxed up and contained in one moving truck, I realized how much stuff I have. One person should not own so much stuff and I thought that I could easily get rid of 75% of it and still be fine. Afterall, a large number of people in the world live with less than I currently have in my suitcases. But I have to admit that I don't want to live *that* minimally.

And that's one issue with houseboat living. It's living in a small space. This place is stuffed in every possible crevice with the owners' things. Some of it is ingenious-- like the in counter garbage can in the kitchenette. And some of it is odd-- there are linens stored under the cushions of the chairs and couches. In such small spaces there is a fine line between owning things and having a place that could be showcased on 'Hoarders'.

I think the real reason that I care about my stuff is that having it all in one place gives me a sense of home. My home is where I hang my hat... and store my books, and dishes, and artwork, and knick-knacks, and... souvenirs of life!