Functions of a living situation
Hit and Miss #111
Last night, I was reflecting on the essential functions of a living situation. What kind of activities should a living situation support?
I arrived at a rough list. A living situation should have space for:
- Sleeping
- Cleansing
- Cooking
- Eating
- Social listening, watching, or talking
- Silent or quiet reflecting, reading, or other such activity
- Working
This list reflects my own experience; it’s hardly universal.
As I reflected, my thinking was that each of these functions demands a room of its own. But that’s hardly the case.
Some activities are too often separated into different rooms. Take cooking and eating: without the kitchen in sight, we can forget the effort required to prepare and clean up from a good meal, effort that seems good to keep in mind. Currently, for example, I combine the first, sixth, and seventh activities into one room, quite happily.
Sometimes we want not only designated space, but space that thoughtfully supports its activity. Take the silent activities, for example. To do them well, we may look for more than just a dedicated room. We may want a room with especially thick walls, or other features that support the goal of silence.
But then again, these activities don’t have to be accommodated within the same abode. The surrounding community could offer space for these activities, too, like the silent and social activities. (Hence my use of “situation” above.)
Anywho, that’s what’s on my mind this week—election aside. I’d encourage folks in Canada to read up on minority scenarios—whether it comes to pass tomorrow or not, it’s a good primer on our constitutional arrangement.
All the best for the week ahead!
Lucas