Rent

One day I imagine my soul mate and I will rent out a house. Maybe even just so we can create a home and choose kindred spirits for it. And in my day dreams we choose the kind of renters that will do just this. And together, with mostly strangers, we will create art, beauty, a home, made up of pieces of human experiences from completely unique people. And to start out, we will ask this of them:

We want you to leave your mark on this house. Write your name somewhere, on the inside of the pantry door, along the baseboard of your favorite room, on the ceiling. Start a list of all the humans who call this place home at some point. Make messes, clean messes, don't clean some messes. Let a cat sit on the windowsills. Pick a wall and paint your soul on it. Write down thoughts and moments that belong to this house just as much as they belong to you, we would love to hear about them. In fact, write them in a letter and send them with the monthly rent. Cook colorful things in the kitchen. Eat colorful things criss cross apple sauce style in the middle of the kitchen floor. Dream. Then leave the house for a while to live those dreams. Wash the windows so you see things clearly. Keep drawers full of paint brushes and cassettes. This house enjoys smelling good. This house enjoys sounding like laughter and even tears, it enjoys sounding like emotion. Keep flowers on the kitchen counter and hand lotion in the bathrooms. Take Polaroid pictures of moments lived in this house and start a shoe box full of them, copies that the next renters can get to know this house with, that new people can one day add to. Introduce this house like it's the old friend that it will become, never as an embarrassment and never with excuses. Paint the walls in gold and your favorite color, and when your favorite color changes, change the wall. Change is a-ok. When you leave this house we want you to be changed for the better. In fact, that is our only contract-- we ask that you live in this house until you have become a part of it and it has become a part of you.

Make it your home. Leave pieces of your soul, we would love to see them one day when your time with this house is over. 

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Yes, one day I want to hand renters that letter.