Hey Everyone,
I was texting with my Dad this morning over a problem I know I can help him with the next time I'm over. And I was thanking God that I'm able to help my parents with the little that I know (my siblings are the street and tech smart ones, but I'm glad I can occasionally be useful.)
My parents have had various dwellings over the years, but I always smile when I think of a certain item my Dad always has somewhere in his office:
My favorite comic strip as a kid was always Garfield the cat, but my Dad and I always had a "rivalry" going because I liked Garfield, and my Dad was partial to Odie. He said he rooted for Odie because Garfield picked on him so unfairly. (Humph!)
One day when my Mom took us with her grocery shopping as kids, I saw that Odie pencil topper and even I had to admit how cute it was -- and a perfect gift for my Dad. I begged her to let me buy it with my allowance. And now, decades later, that little Odie pencil topper ALWAYS has a place somewhere in my Dad's office.
And this was always part of the fun for me when they would move to a new place. Whenever I walked into Dad's space, I would look for Odie -- and when I saw him, I knew my parents were "home."
My parents only keep things they find essential and are used to downsizing. What a lot of people might keep for various reasons, including sentimental, my parents can chuck in the blink of an eye (not because they don't care, but because they just keep the bare minimum.)
The fact that this little rubber trinket most anyone else would have thrown away has made the cut for so many years gives me the warm fuzzies, and whenever I see it in a new location, I know I'm at "home" with Mom and Dad, even though I'm just visiting.
How about you?
Now of course, I know the most popular and most heartfelt answer is that home is where our hearts and the people we love are.
But besides the people we love, what makes where you live uniquely YOURS? What binds your heart to the space around you?
* Is it the memories you're surrounded by? (But what happens if you have to move?)
* What meaningful things do you take with you everywhere you live? (Pictures, keepsakes, collections, a certain color, etc.?)
* If you had to start over in a new space, what would make it feel like "home" to you? (Setting up your kitchen or garage in a certain way; arranging your equipment for a favorite hobby, a certain decorating style, etc.?)
* Have you ever had to live somewhere that didn't feel like home? How did you survive?
* Are you someone who has never felt "at home"? Why? What would change that? And if you finally found something that felt like home, what made it different?
Most people know that there is a huge difference between a "living space" and something that truly feels like "home."
I would really like to hear about what YOUR definition of "home" -- or private personal space -- really is.
I was texting with my Dad this morning over a problem I know I can help him with the next time I'm over. And I was thanking God that I'm able to help my parents with the little that I know (my siblings are the street and tech smart ones, but I'm glad I can occasionally be useful.)
My parents have had various dwellings over the years, but I always smile when I think of a certain item my Dad always has somewhere in his office:
My favorite comic strip as a kid was always Garfield the cat, but my Dad and I always had a "rivalry" going because I liked Garfield, and my Dad was partial to Odie. He said he rooted for Odie because Garfield picked on him so unfairly. (Humph!)
One day when my Mom took us with her grocery shopping as kids, I saw that Odie pencil topper and even I had to admit how cute it was -- and a perfect gift for my Dad. I begged her to let me buy it with my allowance. And now, decades later, that little Odie pencil topper ALWAYS has a place somewhere in my Dad's office.
And this was always part of the fun for me when they would move to a new place. Whenever I walked into Dad's space, I would look for Odie -- and when I saw him, I knew my parents were "home."
My parents only keep things they find essential and are used to downsizing. What a lot of people might keep for various reasons, including sentimental, my parents can chuck in the blink of an eye (not because they don't care, but because they just keep the bare minimum.)
The fact that this little rubber trinket most anyone else would have thrown away has made the cut for so many years gives me the warm fuzzies, and whenever I see it in a new location, I know I'm at "home" with Mom and Dad, even though I'm just visiting.
How about you?
Now of course, I know the most popular and most heartfelt answer is that home is where our hearts and the people we love are.
But besides the people we love, what makes where you live uniquely YOURS? What binds your heart to the space around you?
* Is it the memories you're surrounded by? (But what happens if you have to move?)
* What meaningful things do you take with you everywhere you live? (Pictures, keepsakes, collections, a certain color, etc.?)
* If you had to start over in a new space, what would make it feel like "home" to you? (Setting up your kitchen or garage in a certain way; arranging your equipment for a favorite hobby, a certain decorating style, etc.?)
* Have you ever had to live somewhere that didn't feel like home? How did you survive?
* Are you someone who has never felt "at home"? Why? What would change that? And if you finally found something that felt like home, what made it different?
Most people know that there is a huge difference between a "living space" and something that truly feels like "home."
I would really like to hear about what YOUR definition of "home" -- or private personal space -- really is.
