I like thinking of different parts of my home
not as the architectural structures they are but more abstractly or even symbolically
as avenues and pieces of my personality.
For example, think about your floors as the
foundation of your shelter. Of course, this is quite literal in the sense of
what floors serve to do for your home. But they’re the basis of your comfort
and ground you to reality.
And your bed? It’s your personal charger, what
keeps you going after a long day of being out and abuzz. So, you come rest in
it at night to unwind, recharge, and get back to 100% for the next day.
Your kitchen also serves as a fuel station in
the sense of quick energy when you need it right away. While your bed is your
ultimate charger, that takes a third of the day to really charge up. But when
you’re in need of a short burst of energy, the kitchen is your best bet.
And your closets and dressers and drawers in
your bedroom? Those are essentially storage for your everyday armor. Sure, we
wear clothes out and about because of decency, but at their core, aren’t
clothes worn more for their warmth and protective properties than they are for
concealing our naked bodies?
And your bathrooms are your cleansing stations
in order to rid your body of all the bad things that could harm it.
Think about your windows now. They aren’t just
structures for letting light in. They’re the path to your emotions. If you had
none, you’d feel cooped up, restricted from freedom, devoid of happiness. With
them, though, sunlight has a chance to enter your home and charge you with
great emotions, give you positivity, and make you feel alive, as if the outside
world is yours for the taking. And even on gloomy days, your windows still
validate your pensive thoughts and melancholy disposition. It’s okay to have
those sorts of days.
Overall, your home is so much more than a
freestanding building for shelter. If you think of it as a larger, more
important force in your life, you’re more likely to treat it well, keep it
updated, and not neglect any part of it. Don’t just look at your house as where
you go at the end of the day. Look at your house as an extension of yourself,
because it is. Without it, you’d be a shell of who you are.