Open Door Policy

I love my apartment.

In general I am a person who loves people (seriously, I can't get enough) so it may be surprising to know that I have a single unit apartment on campus. This is primarily because I have an auto-immune disorder and things can get a little dicey if I'm not sanitizing stuff regularly, but it also is nice because I lived alone for 7 years before moving to Chicago. I'm glad I have a reason that lets me keep my space, but there are some days when an extrovert like myself gets a little lonely.

Today it was almost 80 degrees in Chicago, which meant I opened all of my windows and doors. There is a comfort level this far into the school years, and my friends and neighbors know if my screen door is open, you can pop in without knocking. I literally have an open door policy, and my when the weather is nice people stop by borrow copier paper, chat about the day, or watch a movie. This state of comfortable that we have within the community where we know and respect each other well enough to have an understanding like this helps me embrace my extrovertness while still preserving my sanctuary. My home, and how it connects me to other people, allows me to live a fuller sense of my personality.

I love that I live in an environment where this is a possibility. I love that I worked did research on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s theology on God while watching Seinfeld with a neighbor. I love that while cooking dinner I saw my friends coming down from an upstairs apartment and we spent a half-an-hour chatting on the back porch. I love when I was ready to hermit up for the night that there is no question that my privacy will be respected.

This sort of community living is as rare as the 80 degree weather in March, and it is treasured all the same.