My Feel Good Home Makes My Heart Sing With Joy
Prompt: there is no place like home
What is a home? It is a place of refuge from the elements and safety from potential enemies. Both humans and animals seek such for protection. It is a basic instinct for survival.
Rabbits will build a nest amongst leaves to have their young. Deer will do the same in the midst of a forest. Other mammals will use a cave or burrow a tunnel underground. Birds and squirrels will build nests of leaves and twigs. Dead snags are ideal places for wildlife to construct a home.
A home means more than a shelter for humans. We like to embellish it with personal touches that reflect our personality. It’s not only a safe haven but a place where we can live comfortably.
A happy home is a relaxed place imbued with love and peace. It is filled with the things you love. It holds possessions that bring back memories and experiences. It provides a respite from the craziness of the world. A loving warmth fills your heart as soon as you open the front door.
My initial experience living in my childhood home wasn’t a happy one. It reflected anger, insecurity, and fear. The atmosphere changed according to my mother’s moods. I was often hungry and cold, living in a cement block structure that wasn’t insulated. My constant wish was to leave as soon as I could.
My vision was to live in a warm, comfortable home in the future. I am blessed to have lived in four homes that are dear to my heart. They brought the sound of “AAAH!” To my lips.
The first home was a long sprawling house with a window wall facing south. The passive solar effect would warm our house to 80 degrees in the winter. My husband and I didn’t buy it for the house. We wanted the acre of land full of mature trees. The leafy canopy lowered the summertime temperature and refreshed the air we breathed.
It was an ideal sanctuary to raise three active children. We had a huge garden space to grow most of our food. Wild animals would wander through. A wide variety of birds frequented our feeders. I constructed a high line rope course. There was plenty of room to teach outdoor skills to my Scout troop.
There was such a warm feeling when I drove the long drive onto the property. Family pictures and plants were scattered about. Laughter filled the rooms. My children recall happy memories there until they left to face the world on their own.
The second home was an A-frame house with an attached garage in Oregon. It had a great room with a dining area and kitchen adjoining it. The interior reminded me of a log cabin. Stairs accessed a balcony that contained bookshelves and my paintings. A fireplace graced the living room area. I was fulfilling my dream of a budding landscape and wildlife artist. Our eighteen-year-old son attended college in Portland.
I worked in the Oregon Burn Center and climbed with the Mazama Mountaineering Club. I loved that home. It was an exciting time filled with adventure and adapting to life free of kids. Whenever I drove into the driveway a feeling of warmth and belonging flowed through me. The house was an extension of my personality.
My third home was a lovely condo in Chelan, Washington. It had a view of the Cascade Mountains and a fifty-five-mile-long Lake. I moved there shortly after my divorce. I was sixty years old and starting over. I knew no one. The place resonated with my spirit. I found a job at Safeway in the bakery department. It was within walking distance of my condo.
My days off were spent hiking and climbing those very mountains. I had access to many miles of glorious biking territory. I would launch my kayak and paddle past beautiful lakefront homes. I enjoyed cross-country ski trails with snowy peaks as a backdrop in the distance. I rescued a Siberian Husky who became my soul mate. I enjoyed wilderness outings with like-minded friends.
My fondest memories are the years spent in that home. Friends and family came to visit me in that paradise. But I was getting older. I wanted to see the natural wonders of my country. I sold that condo and all my furniture. I only kept what I needed as a solo wanderer in my Bornfree RV. Chan Teh, my husky and I hit the road as carefree vagabonds.
Now I live in a ranch-style home in Iowa with my daughter, Chris, and son-in-law, Jack. We share household duties and I manage the yard. The layout suits the three of us well. You enter a high-ceiling great room. A balcony separates the bedrooms from the main living area. There is a kitchen and open dining area off to the side. There is room to accommodate an expanded table for family gatherings.
A lower level provides a play area for younger children on holidays. An enclosed porch allows us to eat meals with a backyard view. There is enough space for our accumulated mementos and houseplants. Family photos decorate the walls. The furniture is comfortable.
Three towering silver maple trees grace the property. A tall white pine tree grows near the garage. Those trees welcome us home plus shade our dwelling. Our lifestyle is laidback and the air is filled with laughter. It is truly a loving home for us in every sense of the word.
Please read other Medium writer's posts about their homes in response to Warren Brown’s prompt “There is no place like home. Is this statement true or false according to you?”
Annelise Lords gives her answer about the true meaning of a home.
Lisa Precious / Smiley Blue has discovered a piece of heaven on earth.
Libby Shively McAvoy believes home is where the heart is. It is what is familiar and holds the most memories.
