Tiny Houses

 

 There's a new trend on the horizon; (or perhaps it's been trending for awhile now and I've been under a rock). I've heard it call minimalism. I'm now hearing it called the "tiny house movement". In short, it's about minimizing the "stuff" that surrounds you to free up your funds, your space, your energy....your life!
     The antidote to hoarding, this movement is the equivalent to living in a dry docked boat...supplies for which are numbered; excess for which means you'd have to remove something before you could bring something else on board.
     Some choose it for financial reasons; nearly all come to it for sustainability. Others are simply tired of maintaining too much "stuff" and have chosen to rid their lives of all but the basics. The good news is, that in ridding their lives of that which stagnates and stops the flow of things (been there; done that; got the T-shirt...it's in a pile somewhere), they are opting for a fraction of the traditional Americana home both in size and in bills... Where most of us like starter homes averaging 1,200 -1,500 square feet, tiny homes can come as small as 120 - 150...The larger versions may reach 380 or 400, but not much beyond.
     In  a nutshell, it forces you to take with you only what you need. Forget sentimentality, the meaning we place on an object is not in the object itself but the thought we tie that object. The good news is, their movement is starting to generate conversation. I'm for anything that prompts us to think.
     There's even a TV show on the subject. (It's on the FYI network, wherever that is on your dial.) It follows the reasons behind and the challenges involved in opting for such drastic downsizing. While I can't say I am ready just yet, I must confess, there's a part of me that really envies these people...(for their bravery even more than their cute little digs).