There were some really interesting options to celebrate today but I chose It's My Party Day because I am all about that life. I intended to celebrate it by enjoying a whole candy bar while listening to Christmas music by myself. This sounded like the perfect way for my introvert self to recover from the hours of socialization I would have by attending a new congregation for the first time. But change of plans! (Which is totally allowed because it's my party.) These new plans resulted in my rediscovery of my Sunday night social scene (it sure has been a while). A small gospel discussion, the name game, and a round of Clue is where it's at.
This summer, when a Japanese friend of mine asked me where I lived I told him I was homeless. In essence, I was. I was a nomad benefiting off free airplane tickets and hotel rooms provided by my job with no true ties to any other habitation. My friend freaked out a little bit, he was worried and wanted to help me. I mean, there's always that language barrier but I though to myself that maybe I shouldn't use the term so cavalierly.
Homelessness is simply something that I don't understand. This was a strange realization I had one day talking with a homeless man in the streets of Houston, Texas where every stoplight hosts a someone asking for food or money. As I talked to him, I realized that I would never be homeless. No matter how terrible my life got, a parent, a friend, a great aunt or second cousin would give me somewhere to sleep. I absolutely cannot conceive homelessness.
Which is why it's so unokay that I failed to celebrate this day. I was too busy to take a second and do something even the small act of finding someone to hand my McDonalds gift card. I'm in a city with so many homeless for crying out loud! It wouldn't have been too hard.
But I was too busy examining Ikea products and buying bulk oatmeal for my new home to do that.
