my home

since i moved to the fort myers area last august, my housing situation has been less than steady or even ideal for the practical minded reader of this post. i have exhibited more of a nomadic practice in my living arrangements than anything; my car still holds things in the trunk that no longer have a place in the apartment i am renting (i believe my seventeenth "bed" that i have slept on since august 8th.) i started out in a $4.4 million home, sleeping in the guest house that belonged to my boss's in-laws. they allowed me to stay there for free during the beginning months of the soccer season since i was moving down on such short notice. after a collection of hotels, a trip to the dominican republic, a night in the airport, a trip home for the holidays, and numerous other quarters in which i laid my head for the night, i settled into my current home last november with two guys i work with. in the beginning i slept on the couch below, showing a slept in bed as well as a bed that has been made up.

my closet was and still is located in the corner of the living room, out of the way of foot traffic...

and currently, i have upgraded to an air mattress that is tucked away in the corner of a nook with our bar acting as a third wall for added privacy. the location is ideal; one step away from the kitchen for that midnight snack and four steps to the restroom. the bar also acts as my bookshelf and nightstand, all for $100 a month, how could i say no to this oasis?

ask me two years ago and the thought of living this way was out of the question, "no way" i would have said. "i need more stability" i would have added.

now i have come to a simple realization that i do not need two or three bedrooms, thirteen hundred plus square feet, walk in closets, or even a sizable kitchen to make me feel at home. maybe it was couchsurfing that allowed me to realize that the size and space of an area does not make a home. to me, what makes a home is a place that you can retire to at the end of a day, to sit down, relax with a cup of coffee or tea, and watch old episodes of friends. it is a water color sail boat painting from a friend that reminds you of those out there that can always make you smile and the comfort that you can walk around in your underwear without fear of judgement.

so please, do not scoff or think less of me for this. in fact, i feel there should be a sense of envy knowing that i can and have lived without "stuff" or what is considered the norm. time will allow for upgrades and i am grateful with the fact that i can still be happy and content with what america considers subpar because when life throws me that curveball, ill be able to sit on it and drive it opposite field.