If your house was burning, what would you take with you? It’s a conflict between what’s practical, valuable and sentimental. What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. Think of it as an interview condensed into one question.

That’s what creator of The Burning House blog, Foster Huntington asks his readers. My boyfriend had the serendipity of meeting Huntington in Portland, Oregon, this week about his other blog, #vanlife, but the interaction sparked my memory. I remember hearing about The Burning House on NPR awhile back, and I thought if you hadn’t already heard about it, you all might enjoy exploring it. 


Each submission features an photo and itemized run-through of the pieces most valuable to the submitter. While I think I’d just grab my cat and my purse and get the heck outta there, this is a truly unique exercise, and furthermore, it gives me a sense of hope for intellectual use of the Internet. Granted, we’re all smart people in our own ways, but rarely do we use the Internet for much else than convenience. And by the same token, a project like The Burning House would be virtually impossible without the instant and widespread nature of the Internet. It’s uplifting that something so human was made possible by the web.

So we ask you, and you should feel free to submit to his blog if you feel so compelled, but if not, just tell us.

What would you take if your house were on fire?