Live Small to Live Big

When I tell someone that we live in a camper, I get one of two responses: “Wow, that’s awesome!” or “I could never.” Neither response surprises me; after all, we did choose the path less traveled, and that can be shocking to some. The first response brings with it images of adventure and novelty, while the second response is accompanied by thoughts of dirt and cramped spaces.

Words have meaning, which is why, when one thinks of a camper, a certain lifestyle comes to mind. The word health has that same effect. You might think of nutrition and exercise as health, or sleep and hydration. However, does sunshine come to mind right away? What about relationships? And what about the environment you live in?

In our 17 years together, my husband and I have lived in many different environments—small apartments with views of the Rocky Mountains and big apartments high over a foreign city. We’ve lived in ranch-style homes and homes with stairs. We have lived in (and survived) the heat of a Texan summer, swam through the humidity blanketing the southern United States, breathed in the salty breeze off the ocean in Hawaii, and felt the bite of winter in South Korea. Each experience has afforded us the opportunity to know what we love and don’t love about the environment we live in, and where our family will ultimately thrive.