Fluidity of our House – Our Home
Our home “has quite a good design,” says Carol Harrison. However, she goes on to describe how it will never be a show home as it needs to be flexible.
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Fluidity in Our Home
Is that even a thing? Can you have fluidity in your home? I don’t know for sure but as I thought about it what comes to mind is that each part of my home, or many of them, need to have more than one role to play.
Home Renovation Shows
I watch some of the home renovation shows on TV with my youngest daughter, Amee, who lives with us. It’s something she enjoys and we can do it together.
The folks looking to renovate or buy a different house want things to be up to date, reworked to give more storage or a better flow, often with an open concept. It’s interesting to see what designers come up with to satisfy their client’s wants but I often wonder what the picture perfect “after” shots look like a week or month or year later.
Everything in its Proper Place
I don’t know about you but my best intentions to keep everything in its proper place don’t always work the way I think they might. In addition to this several other factors play a part in what my house looks like and how things work for our family.
We downsized to an apartment which means we have limited space. There is no basement to stash things in, nor a garage. Our place has quite a good design and lots of kitchen cupboards and even an outdoor storage closet on our deck but it has limits.
Collector – or Packrat?
Secondly, I am a collector – some might even say a pack rat. I enjoy family pieces with their stories or old kitchen pieces to show a bygone era. I like pretty things too. I am the keeper of family mementos and history and it all needs a place to stay. One thing I know is that the puzzle picture of a show home does not fit with the bits and pieces that make up my life.
With only two bedrooms, the guest room is a pull out sofa bed in the living room. Depending on the guests, we sometimes give up our room and use the living room as a bedroom.
The Everything Room
I have no dedicated office space for my desk, book cases and assorted supplies. My writing, speaking prep and these programs need to happen in the office corner of my bedroom. Sometimes I think my bedroom is really the everything room.
Lots of people have a junk drawer – a catch all place for misc. pieces. But my bedroom often becomes the storage area for whatever doesn’t find a home someplace else. The room has a long walk in closet attached which stores more than clothes. It even becomes the recording studio for these Puzzle Piece of Life programs. Yes I take a small table my grandson made into the closet. I have an old press back wooden chair that used to belong to my grandparents that lives in that space and the combination makes a perfect space to set up the computer and record without background noise from the apartment or busy street we live on to interfere.
Our Home is Not a Show Suite
I think you are beginning to get the picture of a house and rooms that need to be fluid or flexible in what we use them for. Maybe watching something like Tiny House might give me more ideas for spaces that need to do double or triple duty.
My house is not a show suite but a home filled with family and memories. My desire is to have friends and family feel comfortable when they visit – kick back, relax and enjoy a visit.
There is fluidity in my house – things change and sometimes flow together. It happens in life too. Life can be messy but somehow pieces fit together as we are flexible enough to allow God to work in and through us.
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A Visit to our Home
I hope you have enjoyed a bit of a visit to my home today. There are numerous objects that might catch your attention and I have a story to go with all of them. At times maybe my house might seem like a museum exhibit of old stuff but it all can be a story or conversation starter. Sometimes they remind me of a lesson God is trying to teach me or has taught me so I keep the reminders at least for now.
What is your place like? Do you have a favourite room? Do rooms need to do double or triple duty? I hope you take a moment to enjoy your space and see what life lessons can be shared from the puzzle pieces of home.
Carol Harrison
Listen to Carol’s program Puzzle Pieces Of Life.
Carol Harrison B.Ed is a speaker and published author with one book, Amee’s Story and stories in twelve anthologies. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and ability levels find their voice and reach their fullest potential.
She knows, through personal experience that some of life’s experiences are tougher than others. She encourages people that even in the twists and turns of life God’s amazing grace provides hope. She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Brian. They have four adult children and a dozen grandchildren.
Visit Carol’s website carolscorner.ca
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Images Credits
Home – JillWellington
Bed – Pexels
Desk – tookapic
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