NEW ESSAY: Me Against Entropy

This is the latest essay I published in my project POWER of meanings // MEANINGS of power. 

I am curious about how other people live, and I enjoy visiting other people’s homes. But those visits can also make me think about my own house and how it looks. I notice this even more when someone comes into my space. In both situations, I can become self-conscious about what my home might seem to say about me.

My home is livable, functional, and safe. It works for my family. But it is not especially polished. Some things are worn. Some things need fixing. Some things are arranged more for use than for appearance.

This is not simply neglect. It reflects my priorities, my limits, and the fact that keeping a household going always involves choices. I care about hygiene. I care that things function. I care that the space supports daily life. But making everything look beautiful or fully put together is not where I choose to put most of my time, money, or energy.

Even so, I would be dishonest if I said I felt completely free about that. When I am in other people’s homes, or when they are in mine, I can start seeing my space through imagined outside eyes: what looks old, what looks shabby, what might seem like a sign that I am not managing life properly. Even when I know that the space is serving its purpose, that feeling can still appear.

Continue reading here.

[This essay will be included in Newsletter#22.]