• Jane Post, 81, lives in a small mobile home that she calls "The Teapot." • She lives on her younger daughter's land and enjoys freedom and independence with family close by. • Though her home is small, she has everything she needs, and shares it with her animals.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation between writer Jennifer Jane and her mom, Jane Post. It has been edited for length and clarity.

After moving out of the home I loved and lived in for 31 years, it took me a few years to settle on a housing situation that suited me. I was used to living alone and liked it, but my home became too much work and responsibility once I reached my mid-70s, and I needed something different.

I lived with a friend for a few months, then moved across the country from Florida to New Yo

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