Dear Thimble,

Thimble is a funny nickname. Just 550 sq ft, you were, with infinite space for peace, growth, and healing. Who could have imagined that tiny living would become a “thing”? You were ahead of your time, my precious Thimble…

I never aspired to live alone. It would be a lie, however, to say that I never imagined my life with you in it.

Days before you became a necessity, I went on a rant about some silly backup plan to what I then believed would be forever. “If anything happens,” I said to the Universe, “I will just rent a little apartment and spend my time sitting on the couch, drinking tea, and reading.”

Less than a week later, I was searching for you. A surprise uncoupling left me fearful, angry, disoriented, and in need of housing for one–or three, if you count the dogs.

The first time I saw you, I fell in love. So compact and comforting. So chic and safe. So built around the needs of one, single person. From the day I moved in, you were my shelter and my teacher. You showed me how to focus on my needs (for once). You made me believe I would survive, held me while I healed, and gave me a soft space to surrender.

Remember how afraid I was? Remember how I hid my single status? How I fake-appreciated my independence? I wanted so desperately for my new living conditions to seem deliberate. I tried to look self-assured, even as I worried over every detail of my existence. How would I get myself to work? What would I eat? Could I even sleep? How would I reassemble my collapsed life? Where would I find peace? Would I ever overcome those profound feelings of disorientation?

Unwittingly, you helped me find answers to every single question. In your surroundings, I healed in silence, strengthened in solitude, and regained my footing.

With you, I learned to love myself, to evaluate my needs, and to spend (not waste) my time on reading, walking, cooking, and decorating. I learned the importance of lunch prep, travel plans, and TV nights with friends. With you, I learned who I was and I dreamed of who I would become. And I learned that, with some practice, I could take control of my life.

Under your roof, I came to understand that even the sharpest pains could dull with time. I cried, screamed, and laughed. I learned to be still and even found love again. I recovered my sense of self, fought to regain confidence, and allowed myself to feel every single feeling as it came, for as long as it was there, and without apology.

I.

Became.

Me.

For the first time in my life, I was free to be my authentic, untethered self. Funny, though, that independence fed both caution and adventure. I protected myself with ferocity, yet I moved about freely.

You’d be proud of me, you know. From the very foundation you helped me build, I have continued to grow, learn, and, most importantly, pursue my wildest dreams. Not that I would make you call me doctor or anything, but I did just earn that degree I always wanted! Dream no longer deferred.

From the core of my being, I thank you. My life, reimagined, began the day we met. In my heart, you will always be my home.

With eternal gratitude,

Fierce and Fulfilled