I am sitting at my desk, typing at a computer that was purchased for me as a graduation present.  On my lap is my newborn son, grown for nine hard months inside my amazing wife.  On my desk are three books that my employers have purchased for me.  On my desk also is a printer that the generosity of my neighbors has recently afforded me.  I sit on a chair that I carried upstairs from where it was abandoned by the salon next door to my apartment. My desk was set up for me for free by an old friend. Near me is a piano that my old roommate is letting me store for him, that I will play as if it were my own.  Also near me are a car seat, swing, a pack-and-play, a couch, a cedar chest, and a high chair– all given to us for free or (in one case) below retail value. In our bedroom, my wife sleeps on a mattress that was a wedding gift. In my fridge are leftovers from meals brought to us by friends.

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