"Do you think about me now and then cuz' I'm coming home again?" - Kanye West, Homecoming
There have only been a few instances over the 4 and a 1/2 years that I've lived here that I've thought about this apartment as a "home." More often than not it's been the unkempt place that I lay my head and watch TV but not really a home. A home is a place you want to share with people. A home is a place that you care for, that you take pride in, that you feel good about. That had never been a consistent feeling...until this week.
We entertained on New Year's Day. The Martini and Hillary and my parents all came over to enjoy Tiffany's good luck meal of ribs and greens and black eyed peas. Anna brought Filipino good luck in some pancit (and lumpia). Moms brought cornbread and champagne. Hillary came with dessert and bourbon. We watched Planet Earth and listened to soul records. We played Mario Party 8. We chatted about lots of things and drank and laughed. For nearly 8 hours, we celebrated each other's company and wished each other good fortune in the coming 365 days.
Before that, though, there was cleaning and shopping and cooking and all the preparations necessary for having people over. In those moments, too, there was laughter and smiles and maybe a little dancing. And warmth. And love. This is what I've found a lot of in the last few weeks. There's power in hearing voices other than your own internal monologue on the regular. There's comfort in laughter. There's joy in the simple acts of caring for others.
So, my house turned into our home this week and it had little to do with the few pieces of furniture we bought or the small bits of redecoration that have happened. It's been the people that have walked through the door.
Y'all come back now, ya hear?
- The Best Thing I Saw This Week: Beyond watching about 6 episodes of Planet Earth on mute on Saturday, nothing comes to top of mind.
- The Best Thing I Heard This Week: Much of this week was spent making two big improvements to my music library. First, getting as much Teena Marie in there as possible and second, filling the holes in my hip hop collection. We're talking Kurtis Blow and Run DMC and The Furious Five.
- The Best Thing I Read This Week: I've been devouring The Big Payback and enjoying it immensely.
- The Thing I Read This Week That Most Resonated:
It takes guts to be an insurgent, and even though the asymmetrical nature of challenging the status quo is in their favor, often we find we’re short on guts. … and then the incumbents prevail.*
Why? Because one of the key parts of my plan for the year is about challenging the status quo. It's a good reminder that doing that kind of risk taking and rabble rousing requires guts. As I look towards the first real work week in nearly a month, I need that reminder.
Take a deep breath, ol' boy, and then step in the arena.
Let's go!
*That's two weeks in a row for Seth Godin acting as inspiration. For less businessy alternatives, see these other powerful words I liked from Cornel West, Janelle Monae, and Marissa Mayer.
