"World Travelers"

by, Erica Jacobs

I think I pack light,

I don’t.

I say I’m an easy traveler,

I’m not.

If I could squeeze

my insecurities,

pained sensuality,

confusion about unconditional love

into that 3oz. bottle,

would you fly with me?

I’ll happily

x-ray my belongings.

Everything is on this table,

for you to see.

I have nothing to hide.

I will remove my shoes,

necklace,

watch.

I will show you,

my dislike for dog hair,

my fear you will cheat

on me.

My jealous streak.

I can scan that, too.

I want you to see

everything.

But you see...

I am afraid,

you want to check your bags,

underneath,

where I can’t see them.

Where dark, deceptive worlds dwell—

deep pockets of infidelity,

hidden zippers of contingent love,

duct taped, beat up boxes

of unresolved issues.

I don’t pack light.

I am an uneasy traveler,

and, but, also,

I am easy to love.

I know what to do,

should the contents of our commitment,

shift during flight.

Come fly with me.

Let us keep our baggage close.

Let it not out of our sight.

Because...

hope waits for no one,

in Lost Luggage.

Wholeheartedly,

Erica

As a child, your bedroom is your own personal "home". And thanks to my being an only child and my parents' divorce, I was a homeowner, 2 times over. From Titanic posters in the 5th grade, to Wizard of Oz memorabilia in 8th grade, to passed notes in class, cards, letters and 4x6 pictures of me and my friends covering EVERY square inch of EVERY wall in the 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th grade, I always loved my bedrooms to reflect how I felt and who I was at any point in time. I can remember the *exact* moment I decided to move my twin-size bed (at both houses) to come out of the center of the wall, leaving both sides open to get in and out of bed, just like the grownups.

Now that I've lived in my own home for the last eight years, since my Dad passed away and I sold our house, it's been so important to make my space one that I feel proud and comforted to come home and invite people into.

Last week I turned twenty-nine and I decided that for my birthday, I'd create a values-based home office, as I am now self-employed and work from home 85% of the time. I just needed a designated, carefully-edited area to write, create and run my business, based on what I value most: Creativity, Leadership, and Tidiness. So, I made my BFF, Hailey, drive to my house, an hour away from hers, on a freakishly rainy day last week and help me create the home office I had been dreaming of. The only thing I forgot about Hailey, and all design gurus, is they can't just stop at one area of one room. I should have known the seemingly simple task of buying a new desk, new chair and maybe some wall art would turn into a two-day project that would require two Epsom salt baths and a Xanax. (And by 'Xanax', I mean, like, eight different essential oils to knock me out.)

Here's what we did...

We started at Home Goods and found the desk and the chair and the lamp right away.

This chair is great because it works just like any other chair. So, I bought it.

The cash register was in my line of site. We were so close. And then...Hailey saw a coffee table. "You need a coffee table, Erica", she said. So, I bought that, too.

The thing is, I thought we were done. I thought the desk, the chair, the lamp, the coffee table would be wonderful additions to my already wonderful home. After unloading the heavy sh*t from my car and hauling it up my stairs, then re-loading my old (apparently "very ugly") furniture into my car to take to Goodwill, that's when Hailey looked around my living room asked, "So...how far do you wanna take this?"

Next, we went to IKEA...

This is what happens to me when it's getting late (6:45pm) and I'm no longer useful. Remind me never to become a personal shopper, k?

We bought the rug and a new stand for my T.V....

...that took us until 3:30am to build.

We woke up early the next morning and loaded more of my "very ugly" furniture into my car and organized my new furniture. We made a few more trips to Home Goods, World Market, and Home Depot.

And eventually, my home started to take shape...

The truth is, our home reflects where we are in life and how we feel about our self. I notice how I feel about my home, impacts my relationship with food, my body, my life and the people in it. It's been an easier road these past few months, since identifying my values and making decisions based on them. My carefully-edited home now supports and reflects the leader I want to be, the creative being that I am and the discipline of being tidy, which I work on everyday.

If you need me, I'll be in my living room...just looking around...

World Travelers: A Poem

Creating a Values-Based Home