The Pink Room
I always need some time to cope with a new room or a new house. Moving in feels like to be forced to make best friend forever with a total stranger who I don’t know if they’re a good fit or have some bad habits I can’t stand. Thus I rarely arrange my room when I just move in (beside another reason that I’m an lazy ass). I would wait for some days or weeks until I get to know the room, the windows and the light better, until I feel ready to make a commitment with this new living space.
Three months ago when Bear and I were packing up to move to Boston from Texas, we sold or trashed most of our stuff. The things we kept, I packed them in vacuum bags then big black trash bags. After more than a month hunting for a room in Boston (which was one of the most terrible quests of my life so far), we finally secured a spot – a pink spacious room with big windows facing northeast on the second story. That was the first time in my life I moved in without any furniture ready.
And it feels great.
Even though when it comes to houses and decorations, I’m the biggest hoarder you can possibly imagine, this pink room with little furniture somehow lighten up my life at the time when I have so many things rushing back and forth in my mind. Most of the stuff I put in the room are from our kind friends (Talking about our pals, I couldn’t imagine how we’re going to make it to Boston without them, let alone settling down here for a couple months.) The black small table from chi Tuyen now serves as our dining table, the folding chair I took from the kitchen is our working desk. We have two black small fans, each for one of us, as the Boston’s summer is heating up and our normal body temperatures are always higher than the average person. We sleep on a comforter HP gave us, also a pair of pillows and a blanket from him. There is nothing hanging on the wall, no painting, no pretty vintage decoration, not even a Polaroid photo – which are not something you usually see if you walk into my room.
Before moving in, I told Zi this was a chance for me to live in a minimalistic room. I realized it was such a mission impossible the moment my eyes got a glimpse at its pink walls. “Fine,” I thought. “We only live here for several months. No need to make a big deal out of it.” I was ready to not make a commitment with this room. But as I said, it turned out to be just fine, especially after I cleaned and arranged around. We have everything we need for a decent living: space, sunlight, two fans, one table and one chair, two carry-on suitcases for clothes and one big box for kitchen utensils. I couldn’t ask for more, and when I couldn’t ask for more, everyday became a simple day to live. Maybe I’ll add something green on the windows, there are plenty of sunlight for a succulent or even some tiny flowers. I always wish I could plant some flowers but Texas’s apartments are not a friendly place for such a thing.
The Grand Canyon
While lying alone on the comforter in this room, suddenly I recalled my trips to Grand Canyon. I had always been fond of this place, before and after the first time I had a chance to perceive its immense size and spectacular scenes in person and by my naked eyes. It overwhelmed my senses and totally lives up to and even beyond its fame and my expectation.
But that’s not what I recalled that day.
What made me in awe was when I realized I have visited it twice. TWICE. Okay, it might not sound like a big deal, but before my first visit, Grand Canyon seemed like somewhere over the rainbow. A precious place on the bucket list which I would be so happy to be there just once. The fact that I have witnessed Grand Canyon’s sunrise and sunsets twice simply stuns me.
Have you ever looked back and see how far you’ve gone? Some days ago, I stalked all of my acquaintances in my former community college to see how they are doing. Some people are doing great. Others… how can I put it delicately… well, actually I still don’t know how they are now, but I’m glad that I didn’t get involved much with them back then.
HOLD ON THERE before you judge me!
It has nothing to do with them. As I said, I don’t even know what they are doing or who they truly were back then. But back in community college, my life sucked and I was lame. For some reason, I thought if I had hung around in their circle, I wouldn’t have become who I am now. At one point in life, I chose the lonely path. It caused some damages but I will always be glad that I took it.
Of course as Robert Frost wrote in my favorite poem of his, The Road Not Taken, you and I can never really vision exactly how it would be if we have chosen the other path. But if the current tree-lined path is full of bliss and joy, of sunny optimism and rainbow-y fulfillment, then it’s the right one. Even if once in a while there is a storm passing by and threatening to doom everything, I haven’t ever felt bored and dull like before.
May my life be always led this way.
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