5 Things I Cannot Live Without

In a previous blog, I mentioned that there are only 5 things I cannot live without. Truthfully, there are only 2 things any human being cannot live without, and they are of course, food and water. These aside, I had to actually think of 5 things I cannot live without. You see, I will admit that when I first wrote the blog that this concept was written in, I did not have 5 things in mind. I only knew that of all the things I have, there can't be more than 5 things that I actually need. I've gone without alot of the comforts of home since being in Spain. That isn't to say that I'm living in a shack or don't have running water.. I have a home and running water, and a gas heater to heat that water. But also know that I could live in a shack, if I had to. Even living in a shack (or a tent, or cave in the mountains) however, there are things I cannot live without.

I'll explain as I list, simply because I'd like to, and this is my blog and I can write what I want :)

#1 A Place to Lay My Head (and access to it).
It doesn't have to be fancy, and it doesn't have to be particularily warm (or cool), I just need somewhere to rest my head at the end of the day. Preferrably clean. And I need to be able to access it. Last year I lost my keys and ended up sleeping on a friend's couch one night. My friend lived across the hall, and thankfully, I got my keys back the next day!But it made me think about how thankful I am to have a place to go to, somewhere to sleep, and how important it is to be able to get to that place.

#2 Something to write on/with
When I was in grade 11, my cinema theory teacher told me that I could be a writer. I didn't believe him. Now, I do. I need to be able to write my thoughts, to express what I'm thinking and feeling; to communicate. I write more often in the day then most people do in a week. My BlackBerry has sufficed at times as a place to put my thoughts, as my best friend can attest to (I've sent her many facebook messages with blogs from my BB in order to get them onto my computer without re-typing them!) Writing eases my mind. If I had nothing to write with, I'm afraid I would end up like The Marquis de Sade (if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch Quills- directed by Philip Kaufman) and by that I mean I would have to result to his choice of ink, not his content.

#3 Water.
I know I already mentioned this as something that no human can live without, but I feel my needs for water extend past the needs of staying hydrated. I like to be clean. Very clean. Hot, running water is definitely a preference in my life (and currently I'm dealing with little more than a trickle of it out of my shower head, but its hot, so I'm okay with it). I also like to drink a fair deal more of it than just to stay hydrated. When I was a child, my drink preference was milk. Now it is water. Beyond the everyday personal uses of water however, I feel I should explain that I need to be near water, sources of water that is. Lakes, oceans, rivers, streams, seas... whatever the water source, I need it. For some reason, seeing water in nature coming and going and existing in unquantifiable amounts is calming to my soul. Looking out over the sea in these last few months makes me realize how small a part of existance I am. I look at the sea and I realize that there is an entire world under the water full of life and existance. It makes my problems smaller than they actually seem. Smelling the fresh salty air also brings a refreshing change from the carbon-poluted air in the city.

#4 Clothes/Shoes
As many people in my life can attest to, I don´t actually like wearing clothes (or shoes really), but the need to cover up and not be ¨indecent¨ in our society is necessary. I don´t have to wear the most fancy clothes, or be the most stylish person, in fact, I think that would be outside of my personality- I like to be stylish, but I get enough attention without wearing the latest fashions. I also like to be warm. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I bought slippers and a heater for my room. I bought them for a reason: warmth. In my old apartment in Toronto, I liked to have naked days (yes, my roommates were aware, no they were not home during them, and yes we´d text each other to warn each other to put on pants!). I believe that if I were to have naked days in public, it would cause quite the disturbance. So for this reason, clothes are something I cannot live without. 

#5 My toothbrush
As I mentioned earlier, I like to be clean. I´m sure my dentist would like me to write that I would like floss and mouthwash as well as my toothbrush, but truthfullly, I see those as something extra that I like, but aren´t absolutely necessary to my life. If I don´t have a clean mouth, I can´t smile and talk to people. If I can´t talk to people, I can´t have a life. Hence, toothbrushs are necessary.

Now I´d like to extend the challenge to you: what are the 5 things you cannot live without?