THE FREEDOM TO BE MYSELF

I think I know what I want. Here are the things that would make me happy. I
shall not want other things.

I want a room of my own, where I can work. A room that is neither
particularly clean nor orderly.

But a room comfortable and intimate and familiar. An atmosphere full of
smoke and the smell of books and unaccountable odors. On the shelf overlying
the couch are books, a good variety of them, but not too many--only thosa I
can read or I have read with profit again. against the opinion of all the
book reviewers of the world. None that takes too long to read, none that has
a sustained argument and none that has too cold splendor of logic.

I want some decent gentlemen´s clothing that I have worn for some time and a
pair of old shoes. I want the freedom to wear as little as I care to.

I want a home where I can be myself. I want to hear my wife´s voice and the
children´s laughter uptairs when I am working downtairs, and downtairs when
I am working uptairs.

I want children who are children, who will go with me to play in the rain. I
want a patch of ground where my children can build brick houses and fee
chikens and water flowers. I want to hear a cock crying cock-a-doodle-do in
the morning. I want tall, old trees in the neighborhood.

I want some good friends, friends who are as familiar as life itself,
friends to whom I need not to be polite, and who will tell me all their
troubles, matrimonial or otherwise, who can quote Aristophanes and crack
some dirty jokes, firends who are spiritually rich and who can talk dirt and
philosophy with the same candor, friends who have definite hobbies and
opinions about persons and things, who have their private beliefs and
respect mine.

I want a good cook, who knows how to cook vegetables and make delicious
soups. I want an old, old servant, who thinks I am a great man, but does not
know where my greatness is.

I want a good library, some good cigars and a woman who understands me and
leaves me free to do my work.
I WANT THE FREEDOM TO BE MYSELF

-Unknown