Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 5 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.
My “Secret Subject” is:
Would you be able to live in a tiny house with very little stuff?
It was submitted by: https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/
Would you be able to live in a tiny house with very little stuff?
It was submitted by: https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/
No. I mean it's that simple and not at the same time. Could I? Sure. I've done a lot of things in my life I didn't exactly love. But do I want to? Nah.
I already live in a not so big home. I'm fine with that. There's enough space for everyone and everything which is the crux of the problem, innit? There's a lot I have to make room for.
There are more than 10 living beings in my household. Pick a number between 10 and 40. The exact number doesn't much matter really. A lot of pets is a lot of pets and there's no real difference between let's say 9 and 15 when it comes down to it. But you put more than one giant fart machine of a dog and multiple litter boxes in a tinier home than where I already am and what do you have? The Bog of Eternal Stench, that's what. Where will they eat? Sleep? Do I get another tiny house to turn into a cat shed? These are fundamentally important questions to ask in this instance. And don't ask me to pretend I don't have the pets because there is no world in which I leave an animal in need alone and don't take it in even when I don't really have the room and not a chance in hell I won't have at least a few animal companions. So no. No I probably couldn't just based on the pet question alone.
But we have another dilemma.
Stuff.
Material things. Could I live in a tiny house without all my stuff?
No. That answer is a resounding no all the time. If I had room for my things, sure, but I don't want a minimalist life without the things that make me smile. I have more than 20 of my own paintings hanging on the walls right now with soundtracks and prints from shows and films, with records, and Halloween things. I have vintage cannisters and stuffed werewolves and marble skulls hanging around. I have 2 mid century entertainment centers and 2 record players and old letters. Walking into my house is a bit like walking into my cluttered brain. My own creativity, my love of Halloween, my favorite films, the way I enjoy mixing prints and mid century decor and all my little geek fandoms are on display. Every shelf, every free space is pretty much filled. And as is always the question, yeah it's a lot to keep dusted, but for me personally, it's worth it. My stuff, old and nostalgic and secondhand and half hanging on by a thread and displayed is important to me even if another human being doesn't understand why. I want *my* things and not just thrown in a storage shed while I live in a spot that has room for a couple extra blankets and a few records. How the hell would I even go about picking favorites?
The only thing that bugs me with these kinds of questions is the air of superiority that often comes with a person choosing to go minimalist as if there's something moral about having the privilege to buy high end multifunction products or use money building out a schoolie and go touring the country or the ability to never worry about saving your old coffee machine even though it was on its last legs because it still works even though you have to push the button 3 times JUST IN CASE you don't have the money to replace the new one when it gets old. There's a comfort in having a plan b, c, d, and e. There's a comfort in having things you love to see, and while I'm here I intend on enjoying that as much as possible.
There are more than 10 living beings in my household. Pick a number between 10 and 40. The exact number doesn't much matter really. A lot of pets is a lot of pets and there's no real difference between let's say 9 and 15 when it comes down to it. But you put more than one giant fart machine of a dog and multiple litter boxes in a tinier home than where I already am and what do you have? The Bog of Eternal Stench, that's what. Where will they eat? Sleep? Do I get another tiny house to turn into a cat shed? These are fundamentally important questions to ask in this instance. And don't ask me to pretend I don't have the pets because there is no world in which I leave an animal in need alone and don't take it in even when I don't really have the room and not a chance in hell I won't have at least a few animal companions. So no. No I probably couldn't just based on the pet question alone.
But we have another dilemma.
Stuff.
Material things. Could I live in a tiny house without all my stuff?
No. That answer is a resounding no all the time. If I had room for my things, sure, but I don't want a minimalist life without the things that make me smile. I have more than 20 of my own paintings hanging on the walls right now with soundtracks and prints from shows and films, with records, and Halloween things. I have vintage cannisters and stuffed werewolves and marble skulls hanging around. I have 2 mid century entertainment centers and 2 record players and old letters. Walking into my house is a bit like walking into my cluttered brain. My own creativity, my love of Halloween, my favorite films, the way I enjoy mixing prints and mid century decor and all my little geek fandoms are on display. Every shelf, every free space is pretty much filled. And as is always the question, yeah it's a lot to keep dusted, but for me personally, it's worth it. My stuff, old and nostalgic and secondhand and half hanging on by a thread and displayed is important to me even if another human being doesn't understand why. I want *my* things and not just thrown in a storage shed while I live in a spot that has room for a couple extra blankets and a few records. How the hell would I even go about picking favorites?
The only thing that bugs me with these kinds of questions is the air of superiority that often comes with a person choosing to go minimalist as if there's something moral about having the privilege to buy high end multifunction products or use money building out a schoolie and go touring the country or the ability to never worry about saving your old coffee machine even though it was on its last legs because it still works even though you have to push the button 3 times JUST IN CASE you don't have the money to replace the new one when it gets old. There's a comfort in having a plan b, c, d, and e. There's a comfort in having things you love to see, and while I'm here I intend on enjoying that as much as possible.
Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:
Baking In A Tornado https://www.BakingInATornado.com
The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver https://thediaryofanalzheimerscaregiver.com/blog.html/
What TF Sarah https://crazymamallama.blogspot.com
Part-time Working Hockey Mom https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/
Baking In A Tornado https://www.BakingInATornado.com
The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver https://thediaryofanalzheimerscaregiver.com/blog.html/
What TF Sarah https://crazymamallama.blogspot.com
Part-time Working Hockey Mom https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/
Although I desperately need to declutter, a lot, I couldn't live without many of the things I love (and have spent years collecting) either.
ReplyDelete"Walking into my house is a bit like walking into my (cluttered) brain" probably sums up why I like getting to know other people's homes: they tell you so much about the person who lives there. So much individuality!
ReplyDeleteIn times of supply chain issues, having "old crap" laying around suddenly makes sense. Better an old coffee maker, than no coffee maker, right?
It's so funny because a tiny house is my dream! I just want a little piece of land and one of those tiny homes and I'd be happy. I like small things and I'm not a collector and since I've started over a couple of times I know that the things I have aren't sentimental and I could easily part with them. I even have the one I want picked out...now if I could only afford it!
ReplyDelete