Upon arriving in college, you will most likely have to set up your room as one of the number one priorities when you get there. Your room is your sanctuary. It is your homebase. It is the place you can always go to and should be able to find comfort in. If you ever feel as though your room isn't a safe place or doesn't bring you joy or solace, my advice would be to move. Have the courage of your convictions and just get out. The way that you make your room this peaceful epicenter is by surrounding yourself with things that are meaningful to you. And the things that you surround yourself with inadvertently will also become a huge aspect of who you are. You will come to interact with these things on a daily basis and through familiarity you and your things will become one. As I look around my new room, which is located in a fraternity just off-campus at the University of Michigan, I notice some constants that have been around since the start of college as well as some new additions.
Lucky Bamboo
Since the day I arrived at the University of Michigan as a wide-eyed Freshman about to move in to Mosher-Jordan hall I have had Lucky Bamboo. Now that I am a junior, it is still the same Lucky Bamboo that I drove up to school with two whole years ago. Although it is in a new dish, it is essentially the same. It continues to thrive and brings me a great deal of joy. I think it is important to have something living along side with you while you are in college. Plants bring a lot of life into my room and it also gives me something to take care of and treasure. I have recently purchased a Bonsai Tree as well (trying to milk as much feng-shui as possible clearly). Having a Bonsai Tree is very meaningful to me, because it is something I have wanted for a long time and only felt ready to now take care of it. There is a graceful and beautiful art to Bonsai Trees and I look forward to exploring the intricacies of this ancient art.
Pictures
On the right side of my desk is a picture that was taken during the summer on a trip that I took to Israel. It was an incredible journey and I had a blast on it. The trip was with other students from the University of Michigan and whenever I look at it, the picture reminds me of the fantastic two weeks that I spent there and inundates me with the emotions I felt while on the trip. This is clearly a new addition to my room, and it comes as a result of experience. A fantastic quotation goes, "90% of life is showing up," and I think that this picture, at least for me, depicts this mentality. All of the objects in a person's room have significance beyond what they may appear to be. Everything has a story. Find out.
Books
I have some books in my room. A good friend of mine asked me the other day if she should bring books she's already read to college. This doesn't seem logical when you don't have much room to deal with and books that you've already read will most likely just sit collecting dust. At the same time, investing yourself in a book can express a great deal about a person. Ultimately, she decided not to bring the books, but reading material can tell you a lot about the person you may be living with or if you're just going to visit them. I brought a bunch of books that I couldn't get through during the summer. I'm about to start a book called, "Lennon Revealed," which is about famous musician and songwriter John Lennon. I was inspired to read this book following my trip to Cleveland to visit a friend, and we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while we were there. Theres always a reason as to why someone is reading a book. Don't be afraid to ask. I plan on reading, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" by William Blake and "The Doors of Perception" by Aldous Huxley. All of these texts were inspired by the trip I took to Cleveland. You can learn a lot about people by finding out what they do while they're just by themselves.
Posters
Posters inherently add life and personality to a room. They surround you with images that please you, because if they didn't you wouldn't have put them up in the first place. There is a lot to gain from a person's posters. If there are athletes on the wall this could really mean many things. Perhaps that person plays this sports and wishes to emulate this athlete one day. Maybe its for other reasons like they support an organization that they care about a great deal. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words," it can also have a thousand meanings. People construct ideas about things based on their prior experiences and this is a terrific way to get to know them. Ask them about the history of their posters and why they stuck them up.
Theres a lot of things that you'll find in peoples rooms. You don't have to ask about them constantly, but you have to at least realize that people took the time to lug this stuff over many miles in some cases to have it around them. It is obviously very important to them and asking about them will only make those people feel happier when you're around. You say a lot with your living space. Be smart. Be aware. Be the solution.
This post was originally written by Tyrone Schiff University of Michigan · Organizational Studies · 29 Aug 2007
