DAY 1: The beginning

I have my food. $2 a day doesn’t buy much. We are allowed to use all of our money at the beginning, so I decided to get a bag of rice, a big can of beans, 3 apples, and a jar of chunky peanut butter. I stared at the food on the floor. This is it?

This project is not the first time I have taken up the challenge of this sort. I have participated in a number of brief fasts at my church, in 2001 I observed Ramadan, and in 2003 I lived in San Antonio “living simply” for a year at the Catholic Worker House. The key to getting the most out of these experiences is trying to imagine that you are stuck in this position for the long term. This can never be done completely, but every attempt to shut out my web of security (being a white, upper-middleclass, male, college student, with a loving family and community) will help me get the most out of this project. That is why I have decided to stop using my computer, cell phone, and car. I will do all of my work on public computers and communicate to my family through email alone.