I've always thought that home should be a place of refuge. I haven't always felt that it is, but I've wanted it to be.
Law and Order: SVU has been my show of choice for allll my downtime this past week or two. I'm not totally sure why I like it so much because it scares me how psycho some people can be.. but one of the things that makes me the most sad about the show are the episodes in which a broken home has stolen innocence from a child or affected the outcome of a teens life forever. Home is supposed to be a safe haven, where children learn and grow and we can escape the pressures and nastiness of the world.
I didn't grow up in a "broken" home.. I wasn't necessarily happy there, but all things considered I was safe at home.
Even without children in my home now, I still want so badly to create a place of refuge for my husband and I. He's often telling me that he wants home to be a place to just relax, somewhere he looks forward to coming back to every day. Unfortunately he can't always get his wish because it involves not having to come home and clean up or do homework, but I've really been wondering how I could help make our home a place we can feel peace and safety.
Which is why this month I'm focusing on the HOME. ya ya... its already a week into December, but I've been caught up with Christmas stuff which means I've been accomplishing this goal anyways.
My solutions for creating a safe haven at home:
1. Simplify. I don't know how it happened.. but somehow we've accumulated so much junk since we moved into our apartment a year ago. Well.. a lot of things I can't just throw out.. its important stuff, but most of it is unnecessary to have anymore. Do we need 2 (and a half) sets of bed sheets when its just us 2 here? Do we need all the stuff I have crammed into the plastic drawers all over the place? Do we need the stacks of papers and books from classes we took a couple semesters ago? Probably not.. but ok you caught me, most of this stuff is mine.
2. Keep it clean. I've been testing this theory out for a little while.. the effect of a clean home on attitude. I've purposely left dishes in the sink and my school stuff all over when Sean and I go out to see how it feels when we come home. It feels monumentally more relaxing to walk into a clean home. I don't think I'll ever be able to keep up a spotless house, but I know it makes a huge difference to feel that your home is clean and decluttered.
So each night I (and hopefully Sean too) will be doing a nightly sweep of the apartment: picking up clothes, doing the dishes/putting them away, clearing surfaces and the floors. Waking up to a house of mess can be just as damaging to a feeling of relaxation as coming home to one.
I also have a new rule for myself, if it takes less than a minute to do something JUST DO IT.
3. Invite the Spirit. There is nothing as soothing or love-inducing as having the spirit, and my home could never hope to be a place of refuge without it. This means my choice of music will have to be something that invites it in (not hard with Christmas music all the time!) Also, I have one picture up of the Laie temple, but I should have more pictures of Christ and temples around our apartment to remind us of what is important. Nothing brings more importance to family than Christ's atonement and our ability to be with our families forever through the temple. My home cannot be a temple, but I'll do what I can to make it like one.
4. Sing at home. So much joy can spread through a home when an uplifting song rings through the rooms. Couple that with personal involvement in making it happen and the home will automatically feel much happier. (Note: if your singing would actually harm the peaceful feeling in the home.. just stick to playing nice music. :) )
Simple things right? I'm sure there's more that could be included here, any ideas?
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