This week, my new home was full. We had guests sleeping here every night, and one night there were 5 guests staying with us, more than the number of people who actually live here. For me, this is the primary reason to have a home...

This is the first time in a long while when I have made my own space...having spent so long as a guest in the homes of others, I am excited to make my new home a communal space. I want my home to fuse public and private spheres, and leave those distinctions behind.

So I am excited that our house has something of a mandate to realize this vision.

Tomorrow, I start medical school. All last week, I had been struggling, feeling overwhelmed, that I had taken on too many responsibilities before even starting school, that I would not be able to handle it all. Then I saw March of the Penguins

I watched thousands of penguin Dads huddled together in -80 degree weather with 70 miles of frozen Antarctic tundra surrounding them, fasting continually for months, basically standing still and cradling an egg between the tops of the flexed feet and the bottoms of their bellies. Their resilience put all my apprehensions to peace.