an open space

simplicity and solutions
At 5:45 pm, I came home from work to an empty house. By empty, I mean, that both of my roommates were not at home. But the house itself was far from empty. I only had 15 minutes to grab some dinner before my 6pm class, and I put some hot water on the stove to boil some noodles to eat before I had to take off.

I kicked off my shoes, and the living room floor was already cluttered with stray shoes, some with a pair, and others without. The carpet on my bedroom floor was hardly visible, underneath stacks of dirty laundry, power chords, chargers, dresses I decided last minute not to wear, blow-dryers, books, jewelry, and half-empty bottles of hair products. The kitchen sink was overflowing with dishes, plastic tupperware stacked in the fridge with leftovers, and the counter was covered with old mugs of half-drunken coffee. And while I thought we lived rather modestly on noodles and beans, our mess was in excess. We've got junk, and too much of it. We don't need all these things.

Today, I had, what we call "Philosotea", which is something my friend Elise dreamt up once while we were in Powell's books in Portland. A group of us girls get together once a week and drink "tea" and discuss "Philosophy". Elise loves the formality of titles, and couldn't help but "name" us, and while some old guy friends of mine used to joke and call us the "Enlightened Ovaries" club, we enjoy ourselves pretty well, and without too much pretension. Last weekend, WWU had an event called Shelter for Freedom, raising money and awareness to help combat human trafficking, and we discussed different viewpoints on solutions to such a prevalent monstrosity.

Although realizing and discussing things doesn't breed change, winning solutions, or guarantee action, it still is a step forward. We must acknowledge things. Few things are unlearned and truly forgotten.

I don't want my house to be filled with junk and clutter that I don't need.
I don't want to forget that Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
I don't want to only be concerned with such a place when it is struck by a natural disaster.
I don't want millions of young women to be trafficked and sold.

I want change.
I want simplicity.
I want a life well-lived.
I want to know how to fix these things.
And courage to do them.