I've written a lot about the downsides of living in such a tiny space, but lately I've been trying to decide what the absolute hardest part about this lifestyle really is.
The answer is probably not what you would think or ever even guess. It's not the lack of bedrooms or the small kitchen or the way clutter accumulates so fast. It's not the lack of storage or privacy or the need to be intentional about time to oneself, especially with kids constantly underfoot. It's not the way we are always bumping into each other and tripping over anything that gets left on the floor even briefly.
It's none of those things. That may be our reality, but we've gotten used to it all. It feels normal because--for us--it is.
No one would ask when we're going to move to a bigger home or think (whether they voice their thoughts or not) that we are not doing right by our children just because of the size of our house.
We wouldn't find ourselves wondering sometimes if maybe they're right.
I spend a great deal of time interacting with people in the small/tiny living community In this space, it all makes sense. People encourage each other and share their own stories. While reading about how other families live full time in skoolies and RVs and tiny houses and one-bedroom apartments and small homes, we feel completely normal. Our values don't need to be explained or justified.
It's perfectly normal to choose time and relationships over money. To actually enjoy being with your family--a lot. It's nothing special to have just enough and no more. Why else would you want more stuff? Where would you put it? What would it cost you? (And costs are not measured in dollars and pounds and euros, etc., but in currencies far more costly.)
This is the world where we feel most at home.
The tiny house lifestyle isn't just about living in a smaller house with less stuff in it. It's about living with a completely different set of values and assumptions about life and time and money and stuff and resources and relationships. It's about trading in the dream we've been sold for a different sort of dream.
And that, my friends, is the hardest part of living in such a small home.
Related Post: Living in a Small Home with Kids: 10 Reasons It Might Not Be Right for You
The answer is probably not what you would think or ever even guess. It's not the lack of bedrooms or the small kitchen or the way clutter accumulates so fast. It's not the lack of storage or privacy or the need to be intentional about time to oneself, especially with kids constantly underfoot. It's not the way we are always bumping into each other and tripping over anything that gets left on the floor even briefly.
It's none of those things. That may be our reality, but we've gotten used to it all. It feels normal because--for us--it is.
No, the hardest part, really, is that not everyone lives in a small house.
If our normal was everyone else's normal, none of us would give tiny-house or small-home living a second thought. We would all share the same struggles and come up with helpful solutions. We would just assume that it would all work out because everyone makes it work somehow.No one would ask when we're going to move to a bigger home or think (whether they voice their thoughts or not) that we are not doing right by our children just because of the size of our house.
We wouldn't find ourselves wondering sometimes if maybe they're right.
I spend a great deal of time interacting with people in the small/tiny living community In this space, it all makes sense. People encourage each other and share their own stories. While reading about how other families live full time in skoolies and RVs and tiny houses and one-bedroom apartments and small homes, we feel completely normal. Our values don't need to be explained or justified.
It's perfectly normal to choose time and relationships over money. To actually enjoy being with your family--a lot. It's nothing special to have just enough and no more. Why else would you want more stuff? Where would you put it? What would it cost you? (And costs are not measured in dollars and pounds and euros, etc., but in currencies far more costly.)
This is the world where we feel most at home.
The tiny house lifestyle isn't just about living in a smaller house with less stuff in it. It's about living with a completely different set of values and assumptions about life and time and money and stuff and resources and relationships. It's about trading in the dream we've been sold for a different sort of dream.
It's a dream that very few people outside the world of smaller living understand.
And that, my friends, is the hardest part of living in such a small home.
Related Post: Living in a Small Home with Kids: 10 Reasons It Might Not Be Right for You
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