Tiny: for the love of humanity, and a dog

I broke all of the rules last night for my dog. I slept in my converted school bus. It’s illegal to sleep or live in a vehicle pretty much anywhere in the country, as a way to criminalize homelessness, but the bus was my home for three years & it would still be today, if it weren’t for fear.

The fear I mean is the fear that swells in people when faced with the unknown or “not like” themselves. People desire consistency & sameness like its a drug. As if it somehow protects us from change or “other,” even though we know it doesn’t. I live in a house to make others feel normal, safe & comfortable.

Last night I made the choice to make my dying dog feel safe, normal & comfortable in his home, our bus, a place I built for him and myself. This place brings him some sense of peace as it does for many of us who prefer to live tiny.

For decades it was normal for people (especially the privileged and white)  to retire, sell everything and live in an RV while traveling. It was considered a life well lived. Now that the younger generations have sped that process up and are choosing tiny or mobile dwelling as a full time lifestyle, we are seen as the crazy ones. We are seen as the problem.

Yet we are not. Fear of change, others and the unknown are. The world is changing. It needs us to evolve too. Conformity, profit over people, and fear are so last year. Love, connection, understanding, community, and equity are needed NOW. Even my dog knows that.

#legalizetiny