Social and Political Commentary |
|
... living well with less
|
At the onset of the Great Recession of the Twenty-First Century, there was
an article in the New York Times and network TV Evening News coverage of a burgeoning, minimalist housing movement. For only $10,000, you could purchase the pre- fab sections of a tiny residence that could be erected even in a friend's backyard. News stories (including those on the Web) presented images of cheerful devotees glad to be saving on rent or mortgage payments in their homes the size of an average American bathroom. Just as suddenly as it had begun, the mass media focus on this movement ended within a few months. I decided to embrace the “tiny house movement” in Spring 2011. After living on unemployment compensation, I was forced to accept that I could no longer sustain my monthly housing expense. I decided to search for a roommate situation and “down-size” my possessions to fit accordingly. Since most older roommate-seekers with published ads were homeowners, I quickly discovered my shared housing options were limited to a small room, no storage, and fully furnished common areas. Even without most furniture, there was no way my belongings (including a lot of camping and outdoor equipment) could possibly fit. Consequently, I decided to adopt Henry David Thoreau’s philosophy, and to whole-heartedly embrace living with less. Take up a Buddhist practice; a spiritual foundation! After all, the followers of the “tiny house movement” seemed happy and healthy enough. Fortunately, I found a nearby efficiency of 228 sq feet plus full bathroom at a remarkably low rent for the Greater Boston area (with heat included). During my housing search, I had four yard sales in which I learned two surprising lessons: the first was that items I considered valuable were not equally regarded by others, whereas crap had buyers offering to pay more than the original price. The second was that I couldn’t remember (much less miss) within days most of my rarely-used belongings that I’d been saving so long. As my possessions disappeared, I actually began to enjoy the increased spaciousness of my home. The Feng Shui, so-to-speak. At least, I could now practice yoga stretches and not bump up against something. I equally enjoyed donating many of my things to local groups and nonprofit organizations--and the feeling of no longer being a consummate “pack-rat”. On the other hand, I also began an Internet search for appropriate interior decorating ideas. Of particular note, Gary Chang (a Hong Kong architect) was featured in a 'You-Tube’ video for his unique approach to decorating his own living quarters. In the on-line video, six rolling walls are shown. A bedroom wall contains a Murphy bed; a kitchen wall holds cooking utensils; a living room wall contains paintings. As each wall is rolled out by the architect, the overall appearance of the studio unit is changed. It was an amazing transformation, mostly reinforcing my view that interior decorating a small space, WELL, is just as expensive as decorating any other living space. On the other hand, three pieces of advice affected me: 1) decorate with small furniture to increase the illusion of space; 2) build upwards, and utilize wall space rather than floor space; and 3) use objects for more than one purpose (so now I hide my cleaning supplies under a living room hassock). As far as my new apartment, I kept a love seat that opened into a double- bed. Reminding myself that it was customary in traditional Japan to sleep on the floor, I attempted to convince myself that this would not be a deprivation but good for my physical flexibility. That worked for exactly one week, whereupon I bought myself a foam mattress from Building 19 to place on top of the love seat mattress. I now imagine when I go to bed that my tiny efficiency is actually on wheels, and I am traveling across the country. What fun! Or, I think about an old friend who sold her condo at fifty to live on a houseboat in northern California (since I presume she was able keep even fewer material possessions that I did). My biggest adjustment after two months in my new location is how much time and energy it takes me to perform my usual activities of daily living, such as cooking breakfast and cleaning up afterwards (besides rolling up the bed). In fact, it now takes me twice as long to get out of bed, shower, and prepare for the day as it used to ..particularly before I was “laid-off” my full-time job. At this rate, I won’t have time, after straightening up, to look for a new job, much less work a normal eight-to-five. Perhaps, the reason news media attention on the “tiny house movement” has vanished is that the “simplicity” in daily living, as espoused in the coverage, is just not what it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it’s takes a lot of self-discipline, as well as free time, to make it work. On the other hand, when I can (hopefully) move next year into a 400 sq foot studio in my building, I’m sure it will feel like a palace. July 1, 2011
|