I recently watched the documentary Tiny: a story about living small available now on Netflix, and I can’t stop thinking about it. The film follows one’s couple’s attempt to build a “tiny house” and raises thought-provoking questions about stewardship and sustainability along the way.
The terms “tiny house” and “tiny living” generally refer to a social movement where people intentionally build or downsize their living spaces to anywhere between typically 100 and 400 square feet. The reasons for joining the tiny living movement are varied, the popular ones being financial and environmental concerns and a desire to live “bigger” with less stuff. While tiny homes come in all shapes and sizes, they generally focus on smaller spaces and simplified living.
First things first, a full disclosure — I hang my hat in a lovely 2,800 square foot home. Nothing about my suburban home resembles tiny living other than maybe our children share a bedroom. What follows is absolutely not a judgment or celebration on big homes, small homes, or anything in between. I’m simply exploring a topic that’s been tugging at me, and so I throw it out here for your consideration and input, too.
Over at my digital home, ThePracticingCatholic.com, I recently wrote about the exhilarating topic of dusting. Yes, dusting. Okay, I didn’t explore the joys of dusting so much (and oh the many joys it brings!), rather, a larger reflection on all the stuff inside my home that collects dust. Then I stumbled upon the Tiny documentary, and it’s precipitated some great discussions with my husband about what Das Schmidt Haus might look like in the future.
An aspect of the documentary I appreciate is that the practice of stewardship is showcased within the tiny house movement. Stewardship is the responsible tending of that which God has entrusted to us. It’s an expression of discipleship and carries with it specific actions; actions that have the power to change how we understand and live out our lives. Catholic social teaching tells us that we show respect for our Creator by our stewardship of creation. The majority of people embracing a tiny living paradigm are incorporating sustainable living practices using renewable energy sources and living free from the financial chains of debt and consumerism.
But there is one aspect of tiny living that brings me pause — of the families showcased, there were maybe two or three with children. I wonder if some dwellers of tiny homes are deliberately choosing that lifestyle over a life that includes children?
In his new book, Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World, Brandon Vogt provides some thoughts on how creation and environmentalism exist in harmony and not at odds with each another. Reviewing Pope Benedict XVI’s body of work on stewardship that dubbed him “The Green Pope” by some, Brandon cautions us to not confuse Benedict for a secular environmentalist. He writes, “Perhaps the most distinctive feature of his care for creation is that it places the human person at its center. A truly Catholic ecology doesn’t seek to reduce the number of humans in order to protect the environment. It sees people, animals, and land as interdependent and indispensable to each other.” (emphasis mine)
Certainly, living in a tiny house allows one to be largely free from the attachment to material goods. However, where does that freedom lead? Does it allow openness to life? I’m not contemplating packing up and moving my family into a tiny house like the one pictured above any time soon. But I am left pondering how we can begin to live “small” in the space we occupy.
Am I the only one or does some of this resonate with you, too? What are your suggestions for living “smaller?”
Copyright 2014 Lisa Schmidt
6 Comments
Lisa, I’m right there with you. I live in a two bedroom apartment with my husband, two toddlers and a newborn. Living small is becoming a necessity and one that I am coming to realize is tied to a greater life of the spirit. I hope this practice of living small stays with us even when we move into a larger space. God bless your efforts!
There are plenty of people who don’t want children even without tiny living. I thought at first I would say that those people who choose not to have children would do so whether they lived in a big house or a small house, but then I had to take a hard look at myself. With four kids and 1 bathroom in 1050 square feet, I have blamed not having more kids partly on living in a small house with no hope of moving to a bigger one. (I sometimes tell people I’m willing to have more kids but haven’t gotten the signal from God. Being over 40 by several years also has something to do with it.) Still, in our society 4 kids is a big family, and even with our “big” family I have always believed we have a smaller “carbon footprint” than many families with fewer (or no) children. We don’t take trips on airplanes. We hang our laundry up to dry. We rarely eat out. Our cell phone is at least 8 years old. We usually stick to within 5 miles of our house and frequently walk to get where we are going. These are all some of the little things that, if more people did them, would add up to a lot.
When I just had 2, a boy and a girl, a few people – total strangers – said to me, “Oh good, now you can stop.” I told one lady I wanted more, and her response was along the lines of overpopulation and therefore I shouldn’t have more. In a way these unwelcome comments helped me start thinking about why people want to limit population, and I really think it’s because they don’t want to give up everything that goes with the lifestyle they want. Nobody ever tells anybody to stop buying new cars or bigger TV’s, right? So why do we tell people to stop having children?
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Monica- My family also lives in just over 1000 sq ft with one bathroom.
We currently have four children, with another one coming in January. We have been looking at bigger houses, but it just seems silly to put all our money into a building. Right now, we can afford to purchase our children items that are needed, we can go on trips and eat healthy food. While technically we could “afford” a bigger home, we would lose out on so much more.
Here’s an introduction to what we did 11 years ago (http://northerncffamily.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-we-super-downsized.html). We have our family of 9 in a 1400sf home, not tiny, but not the generally accepted size! We wanted our money to go more toward life instead of a mortgage. Never regretted!
We live in a good size house but I’m tired of all the stuff! I keep thinking back to the days when I lived in much smaller spaces and had less stuff and how I can go about simplifying things more now. We’ve been in our current home about 11 months now and have no plans on moving. So I’m starting to think about how we can get rid of more stuff and how we can live “small” even in our not-so-small space. Reading your words was very timely!!