Time Out

I am going to depart from my usual reverie of home and talk about some general issues concerning the blog.

Upon launching this blog---my first attempt at really understanding what blogging is---I sent out a mass email to family and friends asking for feedback. What I did not realize is that time on the computer reading something for the fun of it is viewed by some as wasted time. The point is well taken in these tense economic times. Frugality is the buzz word, and it does not matter if it is money or time. To that end, I will share useful information on a regular basis---websites, books, and articles related to the subject matter of the blog. Hopefully, that will make the time reading it well spent time.

Another point, which I completely understand, is the lack of understanding when it comes to cyberspace. I grew up in the age of the electric typewriter. My major introduction to using a computer to do research and write papers was in graduate school. We were told that our comprehensive exam before graduation would be administered on the computer. I, the pencil and paper queen, was filled with fear and dread. One of my professors found this a bit amusing. She believed that since we would be using the computer extensively for classes, we would all be well versed by this time. That is when I had to step out of my comfort zone. I was still doing research exclusively in the library and wrote all papers in long-hand, going back later to type the information up in one sitting. Wow! She could not believe I would put myself through such extensive work, and I could not see the value of doing it on the computer (which I did not know how to use) when my methods gave the same results. I was stuck in my ways much like the character in, "You've Got Mail," who loved the hum of his electric typewriter and believed technology was invading our lives for the worse.

I look upon those days with a smile. If my house were burning down, the first thing I would grab is my laptop. By the last half of graduate school I had completely abandoned long-hand and wondered how I could have ever lived without a computer. Of course, balance is needed in all things. I've rediscovered the joy of putting pen to paper and use them when journaling. There is something about it no machine can replace, but I continue to stay abreast of what is current because it is how the world relates to us now.

Keep the feedback coming. I will soon launch another blog for nurses in the home healthcare field. There will be lots of information and guidance for those nurses. By October, I hope to launch a coaching website devoted to women in transition. If you are a woman, there will be a newsletter every month filled with info relating to grief and loss as a result of life's transitions. Hopefully, it will help you to navigate life's ever changing landscape wth strength and grace.

Next week I will return with more home life reverie. See you there.

Spring Cleaning

March is spring housecleaning time. Make no mistake about it, I loath housework; but there is something special about spring cleaning. I actually look forward to it and get excited by planning the cleaning schedule. It is the time to rediscover the buried treasure of your closets, drawers, pantry, bookshelves, cabinets and garage. With every change of season, I feel as if I've hit the clothes lottery as I unpack the cedar chest for the upcoming season. As I go through the closet, carefully folding and packing items that brought warmth and fashion to winter, I make mental notes of favorites, as well as pieces not worn for several years. Before long I have spent joyous hours in the treasure chest that is my closet.

Any cleaning gives me an excuse to light delicious smelling candles and put on a long forgotten CD. I start to review books in stacks from every corner of the house, as well as the book shelves, hoping to allow myself to donate at least a box full. I end up deeply engrossed in enlightening pages. If this were a job for which I was paid, the work would be done in short order, but cleaning one's home is different. Pulling out old beloved items bring up memories which now supply present day reverie.

Organizers say what has not been used in the past year should be donated, sold, or thrown away. I don't buy that. I think when the possession of an item no longer brings you joy, hope, or pleasure when you clean, repair, rearrange, re-box, or otherwise handle it, then, it is time to let it go. To know when that time has arrived, I always make sure to handle all of my things during spring cleaning---a labor of love.

After several weeks of excavating, cleaning, donating, disposing and just downright enjoying myself in the process, I walk from room to room feeling a sense of accomplishment and renewal. There really is no place like home.

"An Ode to Home"

There are few pleasures as wonderful as being at home and loving it. Imagine waking to the sight of trees rustled by a light breeze, viewed through a window unguarded by fussy window treatments; the sound and sight of a beautiful chime dancing in the breeze; the sound of birds singing a light morning song; the sound of the furnace or AC cycling on and off; the smell of coffee brewing with the familiar sound of the automatic brewer. Dawn has not yet broken and you lie there in the comfort of bedding and a room you've created for ultimate comfort. You sit up slowly, perching on the side of the bed as your feet slide into your favorite slippers. You sit for a moment, filled with gratitude for another day.

Progressing to the kitchen with eyes still at half mast, you hook your finger through the handle of your mug sitting in its familiar place. The sound of pouring your first morning joe with its intoxicating aroma fills your senses. Holding it with both hands and savoring the warmth, you saunter to the patio window and witness the crowning of a new day. Cracking the door a bit, you smell the freshness of the morning air. Time now for a journal entry as you enjoy a silence broken only by the sounds of nature and a new day.

The sun is up and with more energy pumping, you stretch your body into a long, refreshing sun salutation and gently work your way through a yoga routine. Damp with the perspiration of your labor, you head to the quiet of your bathroom and turn on the shower. Ahhhh----you step under the large rain shower head and feel the refreshing, renewing gentle downpour. The smell of your chosen shower gel fills the air as the steam carries the notes of its fragrance. Your are now fully alive with the gratitude, the sights, the sounds, the feel of home. What better way to start your day?

I love home. I am what many would call a homebody. I believe home should be your sanctuary, the place that opens its arms to you after a day of work, constant interaction, traffic,
and mental workouts.
While reading a Country Garden magazine
and longing for one of those beautiful and
seemingly unplanned cottage gardens, it hit me
that this is my love, my passion, my reason for
being---home. I think I already knew this deep
within myself, but how popular is it to say home
is one's passion? To the accomplished go-getter of the world it sounds lazy and
unimaginative; yet, when I think about it
these days, I realize Martha Stewart built an
empire from her love of all things domestic.
While my aspirations are more personal than
business, I now believe the start of all gratitude and greatness begins with home. So, to toast to all that I love about home, I will blog a different "An Ode to Home" every week. I hope it speaks to others who love home and are proud of it. I invite you to sit back and let your mind wander through your ritual as you read my blog. Hopefully, I will become a muse for your gratitude and appreciation of the comforts of your abode. I will be writing from a combination of what I am experiencing and what I wish to experience. As I visualize the wish, the later will become the former. Share the journey with me.