house guests

in oregon, my neighbor and friend susan taught japanese culture at the university. i would visit her and her home was filled with teaism; mats, bonsai, orchids, fortunes. in japan it is tradition to remove your shoes before entering someones home out of respect and also to not bring in dirt. this makes sense when considering eating on the floor. susan would say 'how else can you keep your house clean? but it also feels good. the warm radiant floor, walking in softness, in quietness. you are instantly at home.

my friend jeremiah once told me in france it is considered rude to use your host's washroom.

last weekend, a minnesotan family opened their home to several hundred musicians, film makers and all their fans including pedal bikers, campers, hippies, hipsters, children and me and missy. there would be dancing, singing, laughing and rivalry for a twelve hour long square lake music festival. it lasted till after midnight and since over half of their guests biked to their house, they allowed for camping and of course, gallons of free coffee. for the love of culture and community they let go of ownership and opened their home to complete strangers. no pretense, no judgement, no rules, but i still took off my shoes. except this time i wiggled my toes in the dirt.