I just put down Hari Berzin’s book “Coming Home: Letters from a Tiny House”.
I’m absolutely taken with Hari’s words, the atmosphere she creates with her writing, and the way she offers up the things she’s learning in the most transparent and unassuming way. She doesn’t come off as a guru handing down truth from on high, though she’s been there, done that, and can show you how. She writes as if she’s confiding in a journal which leaves the reader feeling like the closest confidant. I read it through in one sitting because I was so drawn in, and also because I found so many echos of my own tiny house living experiences – some of which I had nearly forgotten. I will read this book again, and when I do, I’ll go through it chapter by chapter to let it all sink in a little a little deeper.
Hari’s creativity and hospitality strikes me as I read these pages. Hari and Carl and their kids lived in the most micro of micro-houses… and still they invited people in to join them on the journey. The family is all snug in their cozy lofts, and someone is downstairs sleeping on the couch as well. There were sleepovers for the kids. They invited people to visit and connect with them in their tiny haven-home. I find that level of hospitality absolutely inspiring! Also… when someone is sleeping on the sofa where you write your weekly newsletter and you take some cushions into the shower to make a make-shift office so you can write in the early still hours of the morning – that is some fierce creativity and adaptability. Brava!! I get it! I need quiet alone time also or I’m no good to anyone. I see so much of myself in these pages, the needs I have for quiet and alone time, plus the needs I have for connection with other authentic people.
I am absolutely inspired by the generosity, courage, and vulnerability it takes for anyone to share their story with the world, and Hari has done so beautifully, and I’m so glad she did. Those of us who came along a few years later and dove into our own tiny house living don’t have to do it alone. As much as I love making my own path instead of following the path laid out for me, it is awfully nice to pick up a book such as this one and know we aren’t the only ones out here wandering around in the woods wondering A) if the wildlife will get us and B) which way is home?
I love this book and I think you’ll love it too. Get your copy! Visit their website at TinyHouseFamily.com.
Carmen Shenk 