Life Amongst Others

All my life I've been spoiled in ways that are only now becoming apparent in part because I'm living (semi)independently. For instance, always having clean dishes, or having a cool place to sleep, or even being able to feed yourself were always thoughtless actions. Now, everything I do is more and more planned. However, in spite of what skills at planning I have, there are always things that I cannot control.

Specifically, last night it was my housemate Allison's birthday. Being that it was her birthday, we threw her a party. Being that there was a party, lots of people were invited. Being that there were lots of people invited, things got a bit rowdy and loud. Being that we live in a city, and being that things got a bit rowdy and loud, the neighbors got angry. This led to our landlord coming to our house at nine in the morning, demanding everyone wake up, and gave us a good talking to. He also made us go and apologize to our neighbors.

For most of my life, I had the most benevolent landlord possible - my father - but then again I've always been the model tenant at home. It is my home as well, after all. So in moving to Portland Avenue, I took that attitude with me as much as I could. Still, I am living with other people. If the dishes aren't clean or if newspapers have been left out, I believe it is my responsibility to step up and fix what needs fixing. I love my housemates very much, as they are some of my closest friends. Nonetheless I must remind themselves that they are not my siblings, nor are they me and moreover they all have their own different living styles. My siblings and I are perhaps four of the most similar people in the world when everything comes down to it. I know of no people who are closer to me in personality, interests and certainly not upbringing.

I digress. The reason I mention that is because I always feel strongly towards a living space. If I had to write a set of rules by which I live, I'd say...
1) Clean up after yourself, and others from time to time
2) Don't expect to get thanked. If you want thanks, earn it
3) Make sure there is lots of storage space (rule of thumb, 3:1 storage space to living space)
4) Be courteous to guests, make sure they have something to eat or drink, and offer them a place to rest if they need it
5) Treat those around you - housemates, neighbors, etc. - with the same respect you would like reflected upon yourself
6) Make sure everything is in good repair. If something is broken, fix it. If you can't fix it, ask for help. If there is no one to help you, find someone. If you cannot find someone, there is something horribly flawed about your life
7) Keep yourself cool in summer and warm in winter
8) Turn off all lights, close all doors, but never live in fear or anxiety
9) In the event of fire, first try to put out the fire. If that cannot be done, save first the people, then the pets, then the treasured memories, then the tax returns
10) Love your home, even if you are there for but a moment

Therefore, in upsetting our neighbors I feel bad. Not because of what I did, because that is the folly of youth, but because I was not considerate of those around us. Hopefully, I can mend the bad step upon which our neighbors and we have started. Perhaps a cake is in order.