Laurie Crosson Erceg speaking on the residents’ panel at Camp Tiny House 2019.
I first interviewed Laurie Crosson Erceg in the kitchen of her tiny house on wheels at Park Delta Bay. As we talked in 2019, she showed me her tiny spice jars and talked about geese. In a few minutes, inspired by her recollections, I scrolled through YouTube until I found it: Lessons from Geese. “That’s the one!” Erceg’s eyes shone even more brightly, something I had not though possible. We read a few lines together, about cooperation, helping others, working together.
In the tiny kitchen of her adorable abode, Erceg looked confident and poised. At the time, she had just turned sixty. She’d raised two children, lost three brothers, and successfully pursued two careers, first in health education, and then in career and academic advising.
But her “tiny voyage” began in 2014. Finding herself unexpectedly single, Erceg decided to tour the U.S. in an RV. “I loved that thing,” she acknowledged. “I traveled from June to late October, visiting perhaps a hundred places. I looked for the path least traveled, the unexpected and unplanned detour.” She laughed about one in particular, which she thought might have been called The Thing. “It was a fake mummy or something, but the tourist attraction signs drew me to it. I got a kick out of it!”
As a result of her road trip, she knew that “small space living” would be right for her. “I like the feeling of having minimal possessions around me, but with each of them having meaning,” she explained. She pointed to object after object that came from family or friends, touching each one as she identifies the cherished soul whose memory it evokes. On her counter sat the last little crystal goblet from her mother — dainty and delicate, just right for the place it now occupies. “I’ll put a flower or something in it,” she observed.
Although she had enjoyed traveling in her RV, Erceg preferred the warmth of a house with wood. Her tiny home reflected the gentleness of her personality, with hues of soft green and lavender. She wanted to park her home in a community. Erceg chose Park Delta Bay at the recommendation of the owners of East Bay Co-Housing. She had met them at TinyFest, and reached out for recommendations as the time to take delivery of her house approached. She helped to build a community spirit at Park Delta Bay, starting a game night, working on holiday events, and helping to form a resident’s committee to plan activities and gatherings. “I feel best when I have connection to community,” she admitted.
As for what she liked about her chosen life-style, Erceg didn’t hesitate. “Freedom and comfort,” she replied. She said that living a life surrounded by substantially fewer material possessions has allowed her to embark on self-discovery.
A year later, life took an unexpected and sad turn for Erceg. Her last brother died; and a few months later, her son died by suicide. After getting through the overwhelming aftermath of her son’s death, she felt that she had to leave her tiny home. The tiny house and the community were each parts of life which she knew had to be archived. She loved her house and her neighbors, but the memories of the tragedies she had experienced seemed to dwell in that place. She also needed to be near her daughter and grandsons, who were her anchor in the tumult of loss. Leaving became paramount to her survival.
Erceg experienced transition from tiny living as reverting to the type of dwelling in which she used to leave but for her it was necessary to have a stable, convenient, and comfortable space in which to be at that time. She put an ad in the Rio Vista paper and found a tenant for her tiny house, a young lady from the community. After eight months, her tenant wanted to move out, but her tenant’s mother wanted to rent the adorable abode. Eventually, the lease turned into a rent-to-own.
In the meantime, Erceg continued her business as a teacher of parents and teens. She founded Weteachlifeskills.org from which she and a colleague offer virtual parenting classes and educator training and in addition, career and academic advising for teens and young adults – 19 to 25. She believes that a twenty-first century phenomenon is that young people leave college with no jobs and no job prospects. So she starts with kids at the end of junior year in high school, helping them explore internships and job-shadowing in order to segue into a job. All of this is done virtually so she able to do it wherever she is.
So, she’s decided to go on the road once again. She is working on making it a purposeful adventure but not anything forced. Her goal is to create a joyful journey. She acknowledges finding joy in her work but she wants to expand the depth of her life by directly serving young people in foster care. She is collaborating with several California organizations which work with foster children or other teens. She will be counseling students and helping them navigate teen years, employment, confidence building. In addition to her online teaching, she will travel to various California locations to work with these groups and their clients.
Later this fall, she will begin by traveling through the southwest in her new van conversion, a Mercedes Sprinter 2500 which she clearly loves. Her carpenter daughter will be doing a few modifications such as installing a small toilet and an on-demand hot-water heater. But otherwise, the van perfectly suits her. Erceg looked at hundreds on line and a dozen vans in person. None suited her. One evening, while on the phone with a friend, the friend suggested that she check Facebook Marketplace. She brought it up while they were talking and there was her van! She instantly knew it was the right one for her. Erceg trusts her gut. The sale of the van went so smoothly. Things fell into place so well, which for her was good indication that she was on the right track.
I asked Erceg what her biggest challenge would be. She answered with characteristic calm. “As with RV trip, family and friends express a lot of concerns as to safety and security. I’m therefore preparing to have everything I need in the van. Food, water, power.” She thought parking might be a challenge, but has found several websites and apps to help. Erceg says she has been reading over the book she made during her RV trip, and might reconnect with folks that she met. Listening to her talk about going over the road, it’s hard not to be jealous.
I asked Erceg if she had set a goal for this phase of her life. She had a thoughtful if ready answer. “First and foremost, creating as I travel. I want to be open to the experiences as I was on my RV trip. I will stay safe knowing where I will be each evening. I plan to contribute as much as I can to the various organizations as a volunteer, while still maintaining an income. And, always, ever, my goal is to live my best life in honor of my son and myself.”
Erceg will speak and show off her new van at Camp Tiny House 2021, October 09 – October 10, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the grounds of Park Delta Bay. We can’t wait to see her new wheels.
