{"id":6508,"date":"2017-08-04T12:33:53","date_gmt":"2017-08-04T10:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marjoleininhetklein.com\/?p=6508\/"},"modified":"2018-02-28T19:57:48","modified_gmt":"2018-02-28T18:57:48","slug":"setting-boundaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marjoleininhetklein.com\/en\/2017\/08\/04\/setting-boundaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting boundaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since I\u2019ve been living in my Tiny House in Alkmaar, my house has received a lot of attention. That means unexpected visitors at unexpected times. At first I had strangers at my door on a daily basis. They had read about me in the paper or had heard me on a talk show. In order to make things run smoothly, and to maintain some peace and privacy, I started with monthly open houses and put a sign at the beginning of my garden path explaining that I have an open house once a month and at other times only receive visitors with an appointment.<\/em><\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

That really helped a lot. People would walk up to the sign, read it and turn around again. Although there still were a few people who thought I could surely make an exception for them. But ultimately, people started to appear at my house again, standing in front of the door or walking around the house. I would be sitting on the deck, or working at my laptop and hear \u2018Hi there!\u2019. At that point I explain to them in a friendly manner that there\u2019s an open house every month and ask them to come back, and that I\u2019m happy to answer all their questions at that point. Unfortunately that doesn\u2019t stop most people from firing their questions at me anyway\u2026<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

I keep my garden tidy. For me there\u2019s quite a clear difference between my hired piece of land and the wilderness next to it. But apparently this isn\u2019t obvious to everyone else; people think it\u2019s justified going straight through my garden. \u2018Oh, I just want to look around a bit!\u2019. Children whose parents are having a party at the Gasfabriek are running through my yard, men going fishing walk straight across because it\u2019s convenient. People are pressing their noses up against the glass and peeking through the windows. As you can imagine, at some point, this becomes really unpleasant.<\/p>\n

A food truck festival will be held here soon, and the entire plot will be mowed. I think that\u2019s very sad. The bees and bumblebees love it here and it\u2019s already hard enough for them finding enough food. It\u2019s a good thing we agreed that the wild zone of blackberries and teasels will remain unharmed. Fences with bulrush will be placed around my house. During the festival I\u2019m away on vacation, but I have friends staying in my house. I\u2019ve made clear agreements with the organisation and I hope things will be ok. But when the entire field is mowed, it\u2019s even less clear where my land is.<\/p>\n

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I thought about it long and hard. I\u2019ve postponed the decision several times, but now I\u2019ve placed a low garden fence around my house. I know you probably think it\u2019s a shame. It doesn\u2019t really yell \u2018Freedom\u2019 anymore, does it? Is marking your territory really necessary? Well, unfortunately it is. I\u2019d have preferred otherwise, but apparently setting boundaries is a necessity. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not a high fence without gaps \u2013 something I despise when it comes to Tiny Houses. And there won\u2019t be any paving either. I\u2019m going to plant climbing-plants around the fence so it\u2019s going to be gorgeous. And you know what, this feels so good! It makes me feel at ease. I\u2019ve made it clear now. This is my piece of land. This is where I live. Once a month you are more than welcome to visit that land and my house, and otherwise you\u2019ll need to make an appointment. That way I can go on working and living in my Tiny House.<\/p>\n

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Setting boundaries is something that I\u2019ve had to deal with several times in my life lately. Apparently I still needed to learn something about that, but I\u2019ve made some progress. I see this garden fence as a nice symbol of my personal growth in this matter.<\/p>\n

I really want to put Raymond from the Urban Earthship in the spotlight; he made my beautiful fence. He\u2019s a sweetheart. You don\u2019t often find people this generous and willing to help out. Thanks a bunch, Ray! Together we\u2019ve put up a \u2018Food is Free\u2019 stand here, where we share our surplus of vegetables. Nicolette from the Gasfabriek also contributes to this stand. If you\u2019re in the neighborhood, come and take a look! You can pay what you have and want, or don\u2019t pay anything if you don\u2019t want to. Only the blackberry jam that Raymond makes has a fixed price. Doesn\u2019t that make you happy, a stand of abundance and love? If everyone would dedicate a small piece of their garden to growing vegetables, and shared their surplus crops, that would be so great! It\u2019s healthy too, you know, digging in the dirt sometimes. And it\u2019s so good for children to see how vegetables grow, how a little seed grows to be edible fruit!<\/p>\n

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This Saturday there\u2019s an open house from 13.00 to 16.00 hours. I\u2019ll leave the gate and doors wide open for you. You\u2019re more than welcome!\u00a0 ????<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n