I'm wearing holey socks tonight. They're so soft though. Why would I want another pair? Sometimes I feel home is like that. Sometimes things need some fixing, but we still stick with it, and continue building a home, a life. These aren't even my socks. They're someone else's. Homes don't have to start out as ours, to become ours. We can share them, or give them away, passing them on. Cozy.
I wonder what is really necessary for a home. To have a safe place, emotionally and physically. I decided over the past several years, that very little actually seems truly important long term. These drain pipes, are little more than camping in a public park. Yet I see something valuable in them. The idea that all that really matters is who you share them with, and the fact that you get to wake up with them in the morning. Having clean clothes for tomorrow, a bible and breakfast. The laptop can stay in my backpack.
Sure, stability DOES matter. It does, there's a lot of value in that. That's part of safety. Having a regular job, a paycheck and food on the table, a cellphone is pretty necessary these days too, even a computer. But why sacrifice your freedom on the alter of unhappiness? It doesn't seem worth it. I'm not suggesting hedonism, I'm simply saying that what happens in this life matters. It does matter. Even when christians say they're living for the next one.
“Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand.” ~ C. S. Lewis
Who can concentrate on religion when they're starving, or homeless, or addicted? As a side note, I'm speaking from experience here. Study the psychology sometime, for real.
If I have less junk, I have less I can be distracted by. Distracted from feeding hungry people, or making sure people who need attention get it, or helping lost kids find their mommy, or being real with people about Jesus and stuff who would never ask someone straight laced, or listening to addicts and loving on them, or hanging out with people who would otherwise be at the bottom of a bottle who haven't gotten to a place where they can imagine life with out it, or giving away books about jesus to professed atheists and discussing them calmly and rationally, or apologizing for the heinous acts of christians from the crusades all the way to why some lie and beat their spouses.
All this is stuff I've really done after getting my act together, but I had next to nothing when I did it. All I really had was a place to sleep, and food for the next day. All the computery gadgets came later. I'm paring down now. Simple. Free. Breathing.
Loving.
END.
