My husband and I have lived in our house for just over a year now, and it’s just now starting to feel like home. While we still have a spare bedroom dotted with random objects that we call The Room of Requirement, I’ve grown to love it deeply. In this last year, I had the time, money, and support to decorate; I just didn’t. There were plenty of nights where Noah and I could’ve lit a fire in the downstairs fireplace. We even had an unopened box of firewood in the closet, but we didn’t make the effort to light the flame. Because I am the over thinker and idealist that I am, I have to question why I have let this story unfold #whyamilikethis. After a nice long bath and cup of coffee by the fire, I find myself at this conclusion:
“Home is where the heart is” is true, but I think that’s only half of the story. Home is a place worth spending time to smooth out the edges, a place to put in effort. I don’t think that means putting a piece of yourself into your environment. Every part of you should be focused on being present in the moment wherever you are. Rather, I think that the home should be an overflow of yourself. That is, you are so content with your being that your vibe and your essence can’t help but spread from your personal bubble. Therefore, the efforts that you put into loving yourself directly build the home.
I’ll speak for both Noah and I in saying that it took some time after getting settled in a job to realize what life is all about. I’ve touched here and there in blogs about learning to be content with both my body and self, but I think we both have recently been hit with the fact that we are blessed beyond belief and proud of the life we are living as a whole. For me, it has taken a year to get to the point where I can say that I have done well, I’m doing well, and I’m going to be well.
There are so many cliches about the home, but they wouldn’t exist if they weren’t at least slightly true. “The home is the greatest reflection of who you are” played itself out before my eyes. When I felt lost and anxious, my house was bare and left alone. As I’ve matured, the pictures started getting hung up, and the house became a home.
The word home is thrown around a lot during the holidays, and it may not just mean a physical space. Put the effort into loving yourself so that your best self flows into your relationships, your traditions, and maybe even your New Year’s resolutions. Tend the fire that is your life and watch the flames glow.
Building a home and a life takes time. I don’t think it’s possible to ever be finished with either. Being a work in progress is a beautiful thing. What’s not beautiful, is spending your life worried that it and you will never be complete.
