This is apparently supposed to be two of the coldest days of the year. What does this mean for me? it means that for the day, Sophia and I will be stuck inside. Its much to cold to really take her anywhere. I don't much want to bundle her up only to bring her inside again somewhere, and shes generally just as happy at home, as long as I keep her busy. It'll be a fun day of doing a whole lot of nothing, as far as I can tell.
First, we'll make breakfast. Actually that's already happened. Her favorite is to help me make her eggs for her. She watched me scramble them in a cup, and pour them in the pan, and she helps with the cheese. Today, she wanted to add some turkey deli meat too so we cut that up and added it in as well, she helped with a few of the final stirs of the eggy mixture, and now shes happily eating while watching the Cat in the Hat, and I type this.
Later on, we'll probably go to her "castle" (bedroom) and battle "the monsters" (imaginary as far as I can tell). Once they're defeated, through utilization of a mixture of light sabers, a “Frozen” microphone, and a magic wand, we'll probably then move onto a dance party filled with today's top hits. What can I say? She's a Bruno Mars fan.
After that, we'll go ahead and make Mac N Cheese For lunch (already requested) I scratch make it, so she'll be helping me make the cheese sauce, much like breakfast.
As we sit down to lunch, I'll start to get her ready for nap time with some good stories, and some milk. All in all it'll be a very fun filled day for her, and we'll never leave the house. Its one of life's simplest pleasures: enjoying the home you've made. and yet I see so many people seemingly trying to leave their main resting places as much as possible.
I am very much a homebody. This probably comes from my Vermont roots. I really enjoy being in the place I've made for myself, and just resting there, or working there, or what have you. Sometimes Its just as enjoyable as going to a special place. sometimes more-so. You gain this kind of simple enjoyment from home when anywhere else is at least a half hour drive away, I think. The closest mall is more than an hour away from where I grew up, so it was a real trip. As such, I found much more enjoyment simply resting at home: making forts, playing video games, or simply enjoying the quiet. I feel as though many of my friends don't find the same enjoyment. Even my wife enjoys leaving much more than I do. When I'm at home and there's nothing to do, I'm very content.
Is there some sort of need that other folks have to just go out and do something different? I'm not sure... I know that sometimes you get cabin fever, and you absolutely need to leave the house. That happens to all of us. But why so often? What's the matter with the place that you spend most of your money on paying for, paying off, and maintaining? It should be a place you really, really REALLY like. If its not, then you may have made a mistake.
Home for me has always been a sanctuary. Not a place that you let unwelcome folks into. Only a place that your truest friends come visit. Not a place that should be left as only a place to sleep, but a place to be enjoyed for many different activities: from exercise, to reading, to special spa treatments (administered by loved ones), to toddler nail painting, and anything else that can usually be done better in the comfort of home. Why leave when you can do these things better with your loved ones on your own couch?
Sometimes I'll stay at home for an entire weekend and make no qualms about it. Literally never leave the place. I'll greatly enjoy it. I'll clean and tidy the home I so love. I'll make delicious home cooked meals for my family. I'll help Sophia to discover new books, and learn new things. I'll take a nap with her. I'll go and learn new things myself thanks to the internet. I'll learn about a new culture, or learn a new skill. Or just read a really good book. Heinlein is one of my personal favorites for this endeavor. His books never seem to get old. I'll do some redecorating: mostly by digging through the crap I have in my closets and finding new ways to re purpose them: making new little nooks and crannies in my home that make it feel more like my own place. These are true, and simple joys to having a house you call a home.
Why do people want to leave these places so often? I find more comfort and joy from staying in my home than pretty much anywhere else. I feel as though the "Vacationers" who need to be out doing things constantly are constantly running away from something: always looking for a new place to find happiness, or to find peace. Why then, wouldn't you try and make your home the ultimate place to find that peace? It seems so simple to me.
Perhaps they really need to be away from home for other reasons. Perhaps the sanctity of their home has been ruined by some heinous act, or because hey attach it with something they don’t like. I can't think of anything worse. A home should be a safe zone. A place where you can unwind, relax, and vent if need be. If its not, where do you do that? That has to be a loss that is horrible. I couldn't imagine having my home not being my safe zone. It always has been and I fight to keep it that way.
Maybe they need a new outlook on lie, and they're trying to grow. Perhaps their own imagination is stifled by being in the same place. That I could see. sometimes a change of scenery is necessary. However its so important to be able to compile that new creativity, and what better place to do it than in your own comfort space? Its so important to be able to go out: to learn, to grow, to thrive and learn more about the world. its so important to interact with people from other cultures and from other places and learn new ways of thinking, and of doing. Its very important, too, to be able to come back to a place that you know: that you feel secure in, and then to ruminate on these new experiences, and make them your own, so you can remember them fondly.
I'll be experiencing the joys of the frontier of the home today. Together, Sophia and I will attack the hordes of monsters attacking our castle in her bedroom. We'll learn about animals and cultures from around the world thanks to the joys of the internet. We'll create new and exciting art projects at the dining room table. And we'll rest and reflect on it all during a nice nap in our own beds, in our own home. That to me is the grandest in luxury.
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