To Burp or Not to Burp...

To be honest, I think living in a female-dominated house has been quite an annoying, yet rewarding experience. Of course there’s the obvious list of things not to do – such as walking around the house in my boxers, using my shirt to fan myself, changing clothes with the door open, leaving the bathroom door unlocked, burping and farting out in the open or making it a competition and I think the list goes on forever. And then... There’s the not-so-obvious list of things that you should do...

I grew up in orange county, California my whole life. with the beach only 15-20 mins away, I think its fair to say that both women wearing just bikinis or shirtless guys walking around the community is a norm. the standard for the amount of skin you can show is most likely different compared to many other suburban areas (I would argue). after all, if you've ever looked at the facebook group for california ("B*tch please..... I'm from california), you might've noticed #5 - which is basically about how adult videos are made here because sex is better here. you can disagree or agree with that if you want, but I'm merely just using it as an example of the uniqueness of the setting I grew up in; and likewise, I think everyone else in this house grew up in their own way and in their own environment.

Its been interesting to see how everyone reacts to certain situations or events in their own ways. Also, being able to witness what everyone brings to the table has been great. I think its been a humbling experience for me to acknowledge the differences that exist in different generations, cultures, backgrounds, or even in gender. Although at times things here and there continue to annoy and gnaw at me, being able to learn from these experiences has been good. At the very least, now I know the type of people I don't want to live with again hahah :).

What may be fine with me may not be fine with others. What may be great and awesome with me may not be great and awesome with others. What may sound pleasing to my ears may not be pleasing to others. What may be insensitive to me may be sensitive to others. What may be normal for me to do or say may not be normal to others who witness. What I do may not be interpreted by others as what I'd hope or think. Ultimately everyone ticks a bit differently from each other and I think we should all suck-it-up and acknowledge that. And with that in mind, community can be born no?

Doing some not-so-obvious things in this house such as encouraging others with words of affirmation daily are things I think should do in order for community-building right? Well, maybe.

-- Jason