The Littlest Details of Your Home

No matter where you are, you can’t help but hear about all the devastation the hurricanes, earthquakes and fires have left behind…and continue to leave. Sadly, many lives were claimed. The survivors of the storms are faced with first hand proof of loss and devastation. All their belongings…including parts of their homes washed away, burnt or left in a heap as if that life they once lived never even existed. People who lost their homes to these raging storms are left to stay in shelters or with friends or family, away from the comfort of their own home. My heart goes out to them, for I wouldn’t wish that loss on anyone.

Sadly, the beauty contained in our homes is so often taken for granted. The simple everyday things we touch over and over. Things you touch and use so much you don’t even second thought them. The chair you pull out to sit on, the towel you grab after your shower, the drawer that holds your keys, all here at a whim. What about the soft pillow you rest your head on, or the stove you ignite to cook your food, or the little window latch you unlock to let in the warm summer breeze, crisp fall air or the glass in the window to shelter you from the cold? The knob on the door you use to open it to invite people in or the curtains you close over your windows to shut out the world…here at the drop of a hat.

It’s home, things you see and use every day, never thinking twice of the fortunate convenience it brings to your life because it’s ‘just home’…expected to be here for us and so easy to forget.

Yet stopping to pay attention to all these little ‘things’ that make up your home…which make up part of your life, can remind us once again to appreciate them all. It teaches us the power in slowing down and actually seeing what’s in front of our eyes and forces us to not just go through the motions. Reminding yourself that yes, you too, can lose any of these simple things at any moment. Any one of us can.

Paying attention is the first step. Not wanting the best or the newest but being grateful for these ‘things’ that add ease and comfort to your own life will remind you once again to not take these things for granted. Noticing the simplest of these things will remind you once again that each and every thing that was brought into your home was once wished for, bought with your hard earned money and now sits silently before you. Now these things reside in your home along with the dusty windowsill, the dirty laundry, dirty dishes, piles of paper on your desk or toys scattered about the floor. These once sought for things are easily forgotten, along with all else in our homes. Yet without them, many of us would be at a loss. At least initially, until forced to adjust.

Take a step back and look at your space. What does it hold for you that makes your life simpler? What does your space do for your mind? Be honest with yourself…does it relax you or are you in a constant fight against clutter surrounding you? Are you so busy in your life that it never even phased you to look…to really look and see the simplest of all things that shape your days? Without them, perhaps your morning routine might not be so easy or cooking dinner at night might be near impossible…that is until an alternate way could be found.

Take the time to stop and think about what your home holds. Become familiar again with what your surrounding yourself around. What do you use daily that adds comfort and ease to your life? What are you surrounded with that distracts you or takes away valuable time from your day?

Once you focus again on the small simple things in life, you will force your mind to slow down and quit racing to what’s next. Notice again the patterns in the curtains, the patterns in the blankets that keep you warm. Notice the sheen to your dishes or the way the flame on the candle dances. Notice the way the sunlight travels on the floor through the movement of time…tracing lines, making shadows…one minute here, the next gone. Remind yourself how lucky are you to be able to simply open up the fridge and grab something to eat, or to be able to lay in a clean warm bed at night. Be grateful for the hot shower at the end of the day or the cup that holds your hot tea first thing in the morning. The curve of a fork, the pattern of the steps, the mood created from of the colors on your walls, all this makes up part of our days.

It sounds so simple to stop and notice, but sadly, many of us don’t. Many of us are in a constant race to somewhere. Life isn’t about racing. Life isn’t about who gets there first or who has it better. Life is about the here and now. Life is taking what you have and embracing it because everything…every single thing…including each and every one of us could be gone in a moment. It’s only then it’s recognized how we wish we had…what we had… in the first place…and nothing more.