Slow Havamal: 36

In the 36th verse, we’re advised to have somewhere we can call “home,” even if it’s tiny—just a couple of goats an a leaky roof. Anything is better than being a beggar.

In another great Havamal synchronicity, I find this verse on a week in which my wife and I viewed a condo for sale—a tiny thing, but the only one within many miles that we could possibly afford. Of course, there were already tons of offers inflating the price beyond its worth and we didn’t even bother to try. A difficult part of the home search for me has been the fact that I grew up in the rural south, where even the poorest man has a home, a yard, and probably some livestock and a roof leak from the latest hurricane. Surroundings breed expectations. I thought this would be the case when I reached adulthood, but a move and a bonkers housing market have left many in my generation redefining our basic assumptions. I’ve talked to others who, like me, would just give up if it didn’t mean sleeping under an overpass. ( Read more... )