We’re seeing more and more people asking themselves, “What’s next?”

It can be a daunting question, but it can also be an exciting one. And people arrive at it at very different stages of life.

In our case, we downsized earlier than most.

We raised our kids in two family homes over about 20 years, and those homes served us well. Big garages for all the tools and toys. Spacious backyards with room for a hot tub, trampoline and firepit. At least one dog was always part of the picture too—and not small dogs. We had German shepherds.

On warm nights, kids and close friends gathered at our place around the fire. The homes worked because they fit the life we were living.

Then, gradually, that life began to change.

As we approached the end of carpooling and no longer needed to be within walking distance of elementary, junior high and high schools, we started entertaining the idea of doing something different.

It was scary, to be frank.

I’m not someone who despises yard work or shovelling. In fact, we’ve lived in older neighbourhoods where there were always neighbours who needed a hand. I enjoyed having a garage and being able to fix things.

But something was pulling at us to shed some stuff and free up a little time.

We were thinking about more travel, more freedom, saying yes to new projects and growth opportunities. When we zoomed out, we realized our home and our lifestyle could use an update to better reflect where we thought the next chapter was taking us.

There was another factor too.

We had our girls in our mid-20s, which was young by today’s standards. While some of my buddies were travelling and playing, we were changing diapers and figuring out family life.

Ironically, now that we’re around 50, I can barely catch some of those same friends for a 10-minute conversation while they chase toddlers around.

Life has a funny way of catching up with everyone.

We Decided to Try Something Different

We knew we wanted more walkability and to live closer to the core.

Our previous neighbourhood was only about 20 minutes from downtown, and we could walk to a local No Frills. But cafes, pubs, restaurants and the river parks generally required a car.

We also wanted to try a condo for size.

I know. It sounds a little crazy.

And believe it or not, our girls were still living with us through this transition.

We looked at it as an adventure and an opportunity to try something completely different. Our youngest thought we were crazy but went along with it. She ended up being the one who made the most connections.

We rented a 1,300-square-foot, two-storey, three-bedroom condo in Lower Mount Royal. It had two balconies and a nice private space that we tried to call a “yard.”

We were looking for a lifestyle change.

We found one.

Sadly, we also slowly said goodbye to our two German shepherds. Our second dog developed pancreatic cancer just three months after we moved into the condo.

I mention the dogs because they were one of the things I thought might make condo living difficult. It actually wasn’t.

We had always walked our dogs, and they didn’t generally want to hang out in the yard without us anyway. Eventually, we simply got used to taking them outside at regular intervals.

In time, another terrific pup found his way into our lives, and we did the same thing.

Then Came the Hard Part: The Stuff

Just last night, I listened to someone talk about the sadness of downsizing as she sorted through her physical memories in preparation for handing over her family home.

I understood it.

We found the same thing.

Little bikes and old artwork that had been sitting around for years suddenly carried enormous emotional weight. We cried, told stories and reminisced as we parted with hundreds of things.

You don’t realize how much a house becomes a record of your life until you start taking it apart.

Today, I have one bike instead of two.

I think much more carefully about what I bring into our home.

And that has been one of the unexpected gifts of downsizing.

Four Years Later

It’s been four years since we made that first change.

Looking back, it feels like we picked the perfect window. Life has a way of moving along swiftly, and I’m glad we didn’t wait for some obvious moment when we were forced to make a change.

We eventually chose a townhouse close to the core, about 10 blocks from that first condo. It’s a little quieter and gives us slightly more space—about 1,700 square feet—so our girls and guests still have a place to stay.

More importantly, it fits how we live.

We have excellent walkability and great amenities all around us. River Park is nearby, along with one of the nicest dog parks, and there are dozens of cafes, pubs and restaurants within walking distance. The South Calgary Pool is close too.

Occasionally, I miss my old fishing boat.

Using a storage locker can be a pain.

But my vital few things made the cut—my outdoor gear, for example—so I’m still only a short jump from the river or the mountains.

And I’ve been able to travel more than I have in recent years.

Some of that is simply the stage of life we’re in. But some of it comes from shedding the obligations that came with a bigger property.  This will sound impossible to some people, but we don’t have a yard.  I’ve sold about 90% of my tools. If I need something badly enough, I can borrow it or buy it back.

We have a nice courtyard that makes for a great social space and, for us, it’s just the right amount. Enough space to enjoy being outside and connect with neighbours, without feeling like we need to maintain another property.

Although I have been called by neighbours when someone is in a pinch.

“MOUSE!”

Or when a smoke detector needs a six-footer.

Those things still happen.

We’ve also gone from as many as four cars at one point to one.  The girls Uber when they need to, and because we don’t have much parking congestion in our neighbourhood, having one car has been surprisingly easy.

Jess and I are still very busy in our careers.

That’s probably why the “less is more” lifestyle has been so surprisingly refreshing.  We didn’t set out to have less.  We were looking for something different.

We wanted more walkability. More freedom. More time. More opportunity to travel and say yes to things.  And what we discovered is that downsizing doesn’t necessarily mean giving up the things you love.

Sometimes it means being more deliberate about what you keep.  The house we raised our kids in was exactly the right house for that chapter of our lives.  Our home today is better suited to the chapter we’re living now.

Maybe that’s what downsizing is really about.

Not having less.

Having a home that fits the life you want to live next.