One Space

(You don’t need to clean your closet)

Many of my fondest memories as a welcomed guest take place in one room, or even in one part of one room. Any semi-cleared spot can be a space for acceptance: a place to be heard. I don’t have to go crazy getting my entire house “company-ready” for my visiting friends to be loved.

When I was in college, some guys in my year hosted “Tuesday Toast Nights” in their dorm room. It was literally toast. On Tuesdays. In a dorm room. For a bunch of awkward, unconnected freshmen, nothing was more encouraging than someone inviting us over for a piece of toast and jam. It was so ridiculously simple, so very homey.

These guys were all smiles, goofy jokes and warm inclusion. Everyone who filtered in and out of that little room, balancing buttered toast on their fingers, left with the glow of comradery. And no one ever noticed that their closet was crammed full of dirty laundry and Hot Pocket wrappers. The guys supplied the space we needed; they didn’t try to put their whole room, closets and drawers, in order first. They didn’t need to be perfect. And neither do I. The welcome is enough.