Ode to Craigslist

It's funny, my generation's response to technology. We are, at times, unapologetic for our constant need for connection, having facebook, twitter, linkedin, and any number of other social networking sites. Not to mention we link our pinterst to our facebook, or our swapping on swap.com to facebook so people can always know what we up to, as if these decisions or our status updates define who we are as human beings. We revel, to some degree in our infinite connections, boasting our every move in our status update, asking the people out in cyber world to give us advice on a difficult life decision, tracking the growth of a fetus in a woman's pregnancy, posting and reposting our political agenda for all to see. Perhaps my generation is aimless or in constant need of validation, or perhaps we all just have severely large ego's, thanks to increased consumerism and the evolving beliefs that parent's should instill in their kid that they are the most amazingly unique individual on the planet (vs. you are one human being in a world full of human beings dependent on one another).

And then, there is the other side of my generation... the side that mocks and makes fun of all the networking and vows that facebook is merely for entertainment and we could stop using it at anytime... like it's a drug. "Really, I could stop whenever I want." And yet, that need for connection becomes so strong that we ultimately relapse from any attempt to go without. And, let it be known that I am no different. These are merely observations, mostly based in my own experience and in comparing with my friends and family. Yet, perhaps this isn't a flaw, but rather an evolution of something that has always been true: we are social beings. Community, connection, and support matter to humans. It's in our structure. So maybe, just maybe, being unapologetic is the way to go.

So, unapologetic I will be here in my appreciation for Craigslist.com... that website that let's you find housing, cars, baby strollers, free landscaping rocks, and even a date. Want a big nasty couch to show how cool and laid back you are... you got it (http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/eug/2698858103.html). I acknowledge that Craigslist has it's flaws and it should be used with caution as people have suffered major losses, thefts, and even physical harm by the connections made through Craigslist. So take this as one woman's experience and that I am only speaking from my personal experiences and nothing else:

You see, in the summer of 2009 my roommate and I put out a clever ad to find two new roommates for our amazing house in east Austin. We included in it all our quirks, things that a roommate would have to accept about us and things that were just unacceptable in our haven on Cherrywood: no smoking in the house, must compost and recycle, energy efficiency required - meaning you may have to deal with 80 degrees in the house in the summer, expect hula hooping and perhaps topless yoga in the backyard, gardeners are welcome, parties are many, creative and able to flow a necessity. As a result of our very long ad, one of my dearest friends headed off on her adventures in Seattle while the other to Chicago and in return two of the most amazing women entered my life and created one of the happiest chapters of my life.

One of these "replacement" roommates just visited me in Montana while I was housesitting for my friends in their straw-bale house with their two big dogs - a very Montana experience. As she and I made quiche and pecan pie and talked about men (or the lack thereof in my case) and life, school and work, I felt immense gratitude that a website like Craigslist brought us together. The ad one set of roommates and I created spoke to this amazing woman who has traveled the world photographing and writing about the realities of an unjust world, as well as the beauties within it. I still very vividly remember "interviewing" her in the backyard and being fascinated by her life and inspired by her aspirations. This person whose accent can't always be determined and who has infinite capacity to accept and give love; who playfully dabbles in art and music while being very talented with all of it. Someone who takes her life seriously but not herself and who laughs deeply and truly seems to find joy in life. How else could she have entered my world? And for that matter, how does anyone enter our universe without the perfect alignment of opportunities or mishaps? This particular friend is one example of my many close friends who have inspired me and impressed me and encouraged me and without whom, I would not be the amazing woman I am today. And as this awe-inspiring world would have it, the opportunities/life transitions have aligned allowing me to soon become a "replacement roommate," finally learning what it's like to be on the other side - to enter a sacred space created by others and learning to find my place with them.

So, as 2012 gets on her way, I hope to keep in my mind the importance of opening myself up to the opportunities, connections, and possibilities that present themselves in the ordinary tasks of life. And yes, Craigslist and the like, have become ordinary life tasks. For whatever it's worth and whatever purpose such websites serve in our ultimately insignificant lives (universally speaking), they present opportunity to connect and to feel supported and to find attachments in places we least expected. Embrace it. It is our reality.

Happy New Year.