Bigger is better (only if it's a chocolate bar)

I just read an article about living in small spaces.  It says that the average new American home in 1973 was 1,600 square feet.  And in 2007 it was 2,300 square feet.  All I can ask is, "Why?"

I like small spaces.  They're cozier.  They're warmer.  They're more welcoming.  I think I've lived in the smallest space of anyone that I know.  My apartment in Paris was smaller than a dorm room.  And I didn't just survive.  I liked it.

So, when I heard a friend say that they'd bought the biggest sectional you would ever see, I was unimpressed.  First of all, the biggest sectional I would ever see would have to go in a pretty big space.  And I've already told you that I like small spaces.  But when I heard them say that it was so big that the whole family (a family of 6) could sit on it and they were so far apart that they couldn't even touch each other, I was sad.   I pictured them all with their own bowls of popcorn, their own pillows and their own blankets.  After all, if you can't even touch, you certainly can't share a blanket.  And who do you grab on to if you're watching a scary movie?

I know.  They didn't say that they always sit so far apart that they can't touch, but the fact that it's an option means it's too big for me.  In Mali I learned that the men gather every day in a special place built for the everyday gatherings of the men.  It's really just a bunch of stones put together to make seats.  Some big.  Some small.  Some with a little space between them and others that touch.  I suppose it's kind of like an outdoor African sectional.  The interesting thing was the roof.  The stone sectional was covered by a low roof made of tree branches and brush.  It's low enough that you can't stand up.  They said it's to keep the group close and calm.  No one can get mad, lose their cool and stand up quickly to leave or they'll bump their head and be forced to sit back down anyway.

I liked it.  A small space.  A small space with a low roof.....even better.  Cozier.  Warmer.  And more welcoming.

Would I have cared about this a year ago?  Would the discussion of the biggest sectional I would ever see have affected me?  Probably not.   But after spending my time in Paris and Italy, I have a new appreciation for small.  Some of my best memories are of three people on a love seat.  It was the only option.  The love seat or a dining room chair.  And we all chose the love seat.  And it was so small we had to  touch.