Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

How many times have I learned about this theory? It has come up in nearly EVERY college course I've taken (quantum mechanics included!) And so I was not surprised for it to come up again today in my Marketing course. The jist is that a person will most likely seek to fill his personal physical needs first, moving up the pyramid as follows:

I've listened to professors explain this theory time and again, and typically shut-off when the subject reoccurs. Imagine my surprise today when I realized I am a victim of the pyramid! For the last 2 1/2 months my life has closely resembled that of a vagabond. Thinking I had everything in order, I've been actively pursuing those top 2 tiers of the pyramid, conveniently neglecting the bottom rung. Come this last Sunday, what I wanted most in the whole world was a deep breath of crisp Utah air, my OWN bed and my OWN apartment, and a good solid 8 hours of sleep- not the 2 hour naps I was becoming more and more accustomed to between flights, hotels, and the friends and family willing to put me up for the night. With all those taken care of I set off on a true feat this afternoon: I went grocery shopping today for the 1st time in 2 months! As I was stocking my cupboard and my shelf in the fridge I was giddy with excitement. All I could think was, "I HAVE FOOD!!"

And that was when it hit me.

I am Specimen A in the evidence for Maslow's Pyramid.