Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Prince of Writers: My Space

This will no doubt be a dumb post, a filler you might say.  The truth is that I have not been writing much of late, mostly because my writing space has been a mess. 

After graduating seminary in May I was faced with a new situation: a permanent living situation.  Since my plan had always been to take a year off at some point to travel and rest, something I need a lot of, and since I was unable to take that year off between college and seminary, my year off is now.  Essentially that means that my permanent living situation isn't so permanent.  At the end of the year when I begin writing in serious earnestness or look for jobs, or both, I very well might need to move. 

Many people may hope for me that I move at the end of the year whether or not I need to because, well, I am living with my parents.  A 25-year old man living with his parents, what a tragedy!  It's better than a 35-year old man living with his parents, surely, but still our culture is all about developing a strict rebellious independence early in life and maintaining it.  I'm all for rebellious independence--it's my whole philosophy and theology for life, actually--but in this case I must say that living with my parents is the best option for me.

Why is torturing myself with my parents the best option for me?  Well, it's not torture, for one.  I believe that our culture and society have scrapped a lot of valuable experience by encouraging moves away from the parental home early.  If I were not living with my parents I would not be receiving constant guidance on how to garden properly, how to make my own soap and detergent, and, honestly, would not have meals ready for me.  I feel bad about that last one.  But having my meals ready and waiting for me is an indication of another more important part of living with my parents: for the next year at least I will be able to live exactly as I intend to.  I will not have a menial job to interfere with riding my bike, writing whenever I want to, walking in the woods, gardening, reading constantly, and traveling.  I believe in living simply and living in solidarity with those who have less than I do, but strangely it is by taking advantage of the little wealth that my parents have that I can best do that for a year.  By doing so, I will also be best prepared to live the writing life that I hope to live on my own, whenever and wherever that may be.  Whether we admit it or not, I'm certain that we simply are not prepared for what we call "real life" by skipping intentional time at home.

Truthfully, though, I am loving living at home because this is my space.  When I say, "my space," I don't simply mean my room, I mean the entire town.  Hudson, Massachusetts is mine.  It's meant for me, not the other way around.  The streets call my name as I ride over them and the buildings cry for me to live in them as I pass by.  Governor Celluci grew up here, but I am meant to make this place famous.  And here I am in my room, that used to be my brother's room, with my desk looking out over the entire town.  Or, if I'm not feeling in the mood to view the town that belongs to me, I can also look out at woods.  My house is situated on a hill with a path right next door to Danforth Falls, one of the major local landmarks.  For a man with my tastes, it's perfect: the town to claim, and the falls to saturate me.

All this writing and I still haven't gotten to explaining why I haven't been writing much lately.  Well, in the two months of being home I hadn't fully organized my space to my liking.  Artists are stereotypes as messy people and, to a great extent, I fit the bill.  Yet I can also say from what little experience I have that artists and writers are very possessive and sensitive about their work-space.  I could have very easily plopped my computer and typewriter down on my desk and write anyway with a messy space, but that simply would not be appropriate.  My space must look and feel, to me at least, like space fit for a prince; the prince of writers.  I am the prince of Hudson and the prince of all writers everywhere.  My space certainly has to reflect who I am.  So after helping my brother out, looking after kids and such, I took a few days break to finish this room off. 

Now I am ready to reclaim my throne.

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