Everything Girl

With the economy in the tank, and the cost of a tank of gas the equivalent of a minor 401k withdrawal, it’s clear that many people are thinking of ways to downsize and simplify without sacrificing too many of the things that they’ve come to love. Cutting back on expenditures is a common theme as people search for ways to weather the fiscal realities of their diminishing investments.

Our recent excesses of cheap credit, living beyond our means, and treating ourselves to luxuries to assuage a bad day have finally hit us like a cheap champagne hangover. We couldn’t continue on this way, spending money like it was, well, money, without regard for the repercussions of our wastrel ways. And now that the financial world has come to a grinding halt, enter the perfect antidote to the hangover that the years of our gluttony created: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome my friend Tiny!

Tiny, as a philosophy and a physical and aesthetic reality, is a major player in the growing interest in small space living and all things compact. And, I am happy to say, the quest for tiny has always been my guiding force. Whether it’s cars, houses, the quantity of food on my plate, or the size of my footprint—real (size 5 ½) or metaphorical—that I leave on the face of our beleaguered planet, I embrace the diminutive. All right, gutter minds, I know what you’re thinking, so maybe not all things tiny, but stick with me here.

“My life is abundant and these things are plenty.”

Call it what you will, but this feeling, this affection, this predilection for the tiny has been a major force of influence throughout my life. Most of my decisions about housing and transportation have been made with my personal ethos of tiny in mind—A philosophy that I call The Concept of Enough. The Concept of Enough means I live with style in a 600sf casita, I ride a bike or walk when the destination is close, and when I need to drive I take my smart car. My life is abundant and these things are plenty.

And, yes, I realize that small is almost un-American: We of the land of McMansions, SUVs, and 48-roll toilet paper from your local warehouse megastore. Although high gas prices have caused financial discomfort for many, there is an upside to the stratospheric rise in the cost of gas: it has helped to bring about the demise of the SUV, that hulking and dangerous behemoth. Cyclists rejoice!

As for those who are confident that they’ll still be around 48 toilet paper rolls later, more power to them, but I’m a bit too wary for that. I imagine being run down by a Hummer and when my home is searched, my friends and family would find 47 of 48 rolls scattered about in a variety of places owing to the lack of storage in my tiny house. Shudder the thought. But I digress.

Instead of hoarding, I prefer a life of thoughtful consumption based on what I need, and yes, what I want, but a carefully considered and well-edited selection of the latter. When one has a love affair with tiny then the desire for things is quickly tempered by the practicality of actual space for acquisitions. My Concept of Enough keeps me clear-headed and reasonable, most of the time, about the stuff I bring into my life. And less space=less stuff=more time to devote to the pursuits I am truly passionate about.

Ever since I could remember I have always been drawn to the tiny: forts, tree houses, sheds, studio apartments, camping vans, cabins, and tents. The classic Parisian pied-à-terre, that 200 to 300 s.f. abode away from home, just fires my imagination.

And imagination is what it’s all about for me. Living small physically allows me to live large creatively. It allows me to spend a limited amount of time managing my stuff so I can get on with my real life, instead of organizing a bunch of trinket-y land fill. I would rather clean and put my house in order in an hour or two than lose the whole weekend to dusting collectibles. Don’t even get me started about collectibles, that’s a whole ‘nother column.

So, yes, size does matter, but not in the way you may think. Bigger is not always better and tiny deserves a chance as we all ponder ways to streamline and simplify our lives. Now, if I can only figure out how to get my bike in the back of my smart car.

Shanna Trenholm is a writer, animal lover, eater of dark chocolate, and teller of truths. She finds inspiration in the ordinary; magic in the mundane. She likes to take baths and naps (in that order). Send her some bubble bath here: www.shannatrenholm.com

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