As Dorothy said, "There's no place like home."

[catherine]

I'm experiencing an unusual feeling for me. I'm ready to embark on our annual Vermont family vacation, and while I'm over the moon about seeing my kids, I'm sad to leave my house.

This is unusual because I spent many, many years in emotional and physical chaos. I always let my needs be sublimated by other stuff going on. So I never asked or demanded or got for myself the things that would have given me a nice place to live in. I have a nice, decent house for sure, but never kept it up, never bought anything for myself (mainly because I couldn't afford it), and just kind of ignored how bad my house was. Old, worn vinyl floors, haphazard kitchen with too much furniture, cheap stuff, cluttered rooms..

Last year, I decided to finally fix up the kitchen--even though it was a Dave Ramsey sin in that I still have debt. But I did it because I figured if I ever find I can no longer afford the house, at least it would be sellable and I wouldn't go through the horror I did selling my MIL's outdated house.

AH and I also installed floating high-quality Pergo floors ourselves, to cover up that icky vinyl. When my DS and DDIL came to live, we felt we had to clean out the bedrooms and repaint. We finally got around to replacing old bathroom fixtures that were definitely icky. Outdoors, we planted raised beds and installed a zen herb garden. We touched up the exterior paint and replaced some corroded window moulding.

So, anyway, as I go around tidying up getting ready to leave for the week I looked around and then looked outside at my little zen herb/bee/butterfly garden and felt a bit sad to give up a week in my own backyard. I've come a LONG way.

Next year I'll propose that the kids come down here and stay at our house for their vacation. Hey, there's tons of things to do here in Jersey--the shore, the mountains, Philadelphia, NYC..

There's no place like home.

[CathyA]

How true catherine.
There's a lot of things that drive me crazy about our home, but it's home, and it's so comfortable. I was sort of surprised recently when I had to spend a night in the hospital, that when I came home I felt a huge feeling of "there's no place like home". I felt like a little animal who had had a very rough day, and got back to it's little den. It was such a comfortable, safe feeling.
Enjoy your week away catherine, while taking comfort in knowing you have such a wonderful, comfy home to return to. :)

[awakenedsoul]

I am amazed at the power of the home. I have an older house, too. I am able to keep the clutter to a minimum. (That's easier now that I live alone.) I just feel so much happier and more positive when I keep it clean, and do repairs on a schedule each year. As a neighbor of mine said, "You can't put a price on the garden." I spend at least an hour a day on it. It is so peaceful and soothing. It feels like a retreat to sit on the porch with a cafe au lait. An hour or two of housework a day really makes me a more pleasant person. Glad to hear your home is bringing you comfort.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Yes, home is nice. I remember when this change came to me: we used to go on trips or vacations, and no matter how long they were, when it was time to leave I would whine "I don't want to leave, I'm not ready to go home yet.". Then somewhere along the line I noticed that going somewhere was still nice, but when it was over, I was as equally excited about going home. It's probably a combination of getting older, getting our homes more in order to where they are more "us", the peace and serenity they can offer, and the fact that maybe it takes less to make us happy now. We find happiness in that cup of coffee on the deck, the garden that is new every day, and (as I look around me), the knitting and books that are waiting on the table next to a large chair where I sit cross-legged often with a cat in my lap. Home.

[iris lily]

And to counter this :) there is nothing that energizes me more than seeing new places. That can mean something as simple as a drive across the river to see a small town in Illinois, one that is cute like my beloved Elsah, IL or a town with a cute village square. Or a drive to the south side of our city which was originally a different village and the architecture is substantially different, and I park the car to get out and walk a while. Or a visit to one section at the Missouri Botanical Gardens if it's a place that I haven't seen in years. I don't have to go far to get energized.

I am trying to figure out if this "head clearing" experience is mostly a function of time? In other words does a 2 hours trip do the trick but 45 minutes do not? But I don't think it's a matter of time, I think it's all about how engaged I am with the new site, how much of an impact doe it make on my visual memory.

A really good theatrical experience does the same thing for me, but those are few and far between. I really look to architecture and the built environment to be my muse.

But in the end, I love home, too.

[Aroha]

I have a nice, decent house for sure, but never kept it up, never bought anything for myself (mainly because I couldn't afford it), and just kind of ignored how bad my house was.
Catherine, this describes me to a T.

It's only as I have begun to declutter that I can now SEE just how many things I have "let go" and I am starting to want to turn this around. Some little fixes don't even take much - new curtain rings to stop them drooping, wipe the bathroom ceilings with vinegar to banish mould. But I just never did them before.

I hope you enjoy both your holiday and your homecoming, and I hope that I can follow your example in creating a nicer environment around myself so that I can enjoy it more fully every day.

[Float On]

I love coming home late at night, there is almost a rush to get around the bend in the road and then seeing my house through the trees all lit up because the boys can't figure out how to turn out lights. I don't even yell at them about the electricity they wasted because the house lit up is just so welcoming. So I turn out the lights then sit on my big front porch for a few minutes to recharge and enjoy the night sounds (even the eastern narrow mouthed frogs - they sound like sheep - that live in my little pond in the front yard).

[Gregg]

I think that it is simply awesome that you've come so far catherine! One nice thing about home, it will wait for you.

[lhamo]

I totally get it. A few days ago when we were discussing different options for the near and distant future, DH suggested we could sell our current apartment and move somewhere cheaper. That makes sense rationally, and is something I have considered myself, but the minute he said it I felt a sense of panic. Our lovely apartment is one of the few things I actually enjoy about our life in Beijing. I have been MUCH happier since we moved there. The thought of giving it up while still staying in Beijing almost set off a panic attack. I hope that eventually we will sell, but that it will be to make a very radical change.

[pinkytoe]

My house and my neighborhood definitely feel comforting - a cozy 1950s cottage surrounded by oaks and pecans and quiet shady streets - a haven in a chaotic, energetic city. I tell dh we will never be able to duplicate what we have here - it would be way out of our budget. But...to really feel like home my final place needs to be within eyesight of the mountains but as long as we are here, this is quite comfy.