Dee Williams was living in a three-bedroom home in Portland, Oregon. When she was 40, Dee had a heart attack and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a condition that can be fatal. She decided she didn’t want her time left here to be spent doing household chores. While in the doctor’s waiting room, Dee read a magazine article about Jay Shafer, a man who lived in a tiny house. She was taken with the idea of a much simpler life and shortly after she flew to Iowa City to meet with Jay. The rest is history. Dee says she has found peace in her little house, and feels less fearful and more alive. She enjoys smelling raw cedar and knotty pine and listening to the weather. To find out more about Dee’s tiny house and the inspiring way she scaled back, you can read her book [*The Big Tiny: A Built It Myself Memoir*](http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Tiny-Built-It-Myself-Memoir/dp/0399166173).
