“Downsizing to our dreamy cottage has made all the difference,” says Sylvia Liebbe. When she and her husband found their ideal retirement community, they built a large home there. Then they made the decision to downsize and better support their retirement lifestyle.
When my husband Paul and I first started planning for retirement 20 years ago, I imagined it as something far off in the distance. We were in our mid-50s then and though we talked about where we might live one day, it always felt abstract. Looking back now, I often think, “If only we had known then what we know now.”
Paul’s dream was crystal clear. He wanted to spend his retirement years on the golf course. My dream was a little different because I wanted to live in a place where I could keep giving back through volunteering, which is something that had always given me purpose. After spending years living abroad for Paul’s job in China, I felt he deserved the golf course lifestyle and I hoped to find the right balance for myself, too.
We weren’t sure where that place would be. Then, a nephew’s wedding brought us to East Tennessee. The mountains, the lake, the way the air felt – something about it was peaceful yet energizing. We both knew we wanted to see more.
Soon after, we found a retirement community that seemed to fit us both. At Tellico Village, Paul had the golf courses he longed for, I had opportunities to connect and volunteer – and together we had a calendar full of clubs and activities. It felt right. So right, in fact, that we built the golf course-front house of our dreams that was 5,700 square feet.
That house was stunning. Three bedrooms, four bathrooms and a full basement apartment. When friends visited and stayed in the apartment, they joked about us starting an Airbnb. I laughed, but in quiet moments I wondered if we had overdone it. For all the home’s beauty, we realized we weren’t using most of it. Our lives were full, but they took place outside of the home.
Traveling was – and still is – our passion. We visited friends, explored new corners of the country, and cherished time with family. At the same time, the upkeep of such a large property became harder to justify. Yardwork weighed on us, especially as we grew older. The house that once felt like floating in a dream began to feel like an anchor.
Making the decision to downsize
That’s when we made the decision to downsize, because we realized that we didn’t need all that space and we didn’t want to maintain it anymore. What we wanted was freedom to live, to travel, to enjoy the days without worrying about more yardwork.
The downsizing process itself was revealing, and I recall telling myself that “you just have to decide.” We gave away furniture, boxes of linens, and countless other items. All of the things we gave away actually gave me an epiphany: Things were just things. What mattered were the people we loved, the places we had seen, and the memories we carried with us.
When it came time to design our new home, I took a new approach. Instead of focusing on size, I thought about function and joy. Where did we spend most of our time? For me, it was the kitchen. I wanted a space where I could cook, bake, and welcome others. So that’s what we built – a smaller, dreamy cottage that worked for us.
For our new home, we kept some sentimental items, but even those feel temporary now. Downsizing showed me that eventually, everything we own will pass on to someone else. What stays with us are the experiences. That shift in perspective was worth more than any square footage.
Now in our 70s, Paul and I live in a smaller cottage that feels exactly right. We love spending time on our porch. During the summer, fireflies dance at dusk. Sometimes we sit quietly, sometimes we talk about the journeys we’ve had – from China to Virginia to Tennessee – and how each step brought us here.
We’ve lived a full life, but this stage feels especially sweet. Downsizing gave us more than a smaller house – it also gave us clarity, purpose, and the freedom to focus on what we value most. For where we are now, in the twilight years of life, if you will, I regret nothing and enjoy the simplicity with a better understanding of what to value, especially since we’ve taken a less-traveled road, and that’s made all the difference in truly living our retirement dreams.
