Dwelling Ways - Home Ways

Home for the Holidays: A Warm Embrace of Comfort and Joy (Even in Imperfection)

The holiday season is upon us, and as the air turns crisp and the streets adorned with twinkling lights, there's no place quite like home. In the midst of the festive chaos, our homes become sanctuaries of comfort and joy, offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. However, let's take a moment to acknowledge that not everyone experiences a picture-perfect holiday season at home. Join me on a journey through the heartwarming embrace of home during the holidays, recognizing that for some, the path to comfort is marked by imperfections and challenges.

Nostalgia in Every Corner, Even the Bittersweet Ones

As we unpack the ornaments from dusty boxes and string lights along the mantelpiece, our homes become time capsules of cherished memories. Yet, for some, these memories may be tinged with bittersweet reflections. The holiday season can be a time of longing for those who may have lost loved ones or are facing challenges. Our homes, though imperfect, become a safe space to navigate these emotions, a canvas painted with the colors of resilience.

The Culinary Symphony, a Reminder of Abundance and Scarcity

The delightful symphony of flavors wafting from the kitchen may bring joy to many, but it's essential to acknowledge that not everyone has the privilege of indulging in festive feasts. The contrast between the abundance experienced by some and the scarcity faced by others can be a stark reality during the holidays. Our kitchens become spaces not only for celebration but also for reflection on the importance of sharing and giving back to those in need.

Cozy Corners and Fireside Conversations, Even in Solitude

While many find solace in the company of family and friends during the holiday season, some may experience moments of solitude. Cozy corners and fireside conversations take on a different meaning for those who may be far from loved ones or facing personal challenges. Yet, our homes, imperfect as they may be, offer a sanctuary for self-reflection, healing, and the possibility of forging new connections.

Festive Traditions and Rituals, Creating New Narratives

Traditions, while comforting for many, can be a source of pain for others who may not have the opportunity to celebrate in familiar ways. Acknowledging the diversity of experiences, we find that our homes become spaces for creating new narratives, for reshaping traditions to fit the circumstances. Imperfect as they may be, these adaptations foster resilience and the strength to navigate through challenging times.

A Sanctuary of Love and Togetherness, Even in Unconventional Forms

Ultimately, the heart of our homes lies in the people within them. For those who may not have the traditional family structure, home takes on a different meaning. It becomes a place to redefine love and togetherness, embracing unconventional forms of connection and finding strength in chosen families and communities.

As the holiday season unfolds, let's celebrate the imperfections that make our homes uniquely ours. Whether your home is a haven of joy or a space where challenges are faced head-on, the spirit of the holidays lies in acknowledging and supporting one another. After all, there's no perfect place like home for the holidays, but there is always room for compassion, understanding, and the shared warmth that binds us together.

“That house was a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear, and sadness.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien

Bones

Special objects that we bring into our homes imbue the space with what is meaningful to us. Finding something suddenly of interest without knowing why - is part of living a magical life. It may create a feeling or a memory from a time that you are unclear about. What is it that this object brings to me in my living right now? Having a few items is what makes something so special. Filling a space or home with too many things just overwhelms us. The interesting story about our home objects connected to our everyday lives offers us information about the biography we carry.

When we are young we come into our childhood homes and places without having a choice in what that is - in the mundane world. On a different level what lives in the spiritual realm perhaps - the unconscious maybe - there is this idea that we have a connection to how things develop in our biography. Of course belief systems vary in these theories. I do believe that we are connected to a greater life energy - spiritual life energy - that is awash in a plasma that whirls around us in ways that we do not often understand. This feeling is most likely concretized if one has had experiences in life that offer them glimpses into another world. I have had those experiences - so it is perfectly comfortable for me to embrace this ethos in my life. I think that most people have these experiences. It is easy to overlook these moments if our attention is elsewhere. One way I think most people have experienced incredible moments of beauty is - Nature Connection.

With Nature we can feel those powerful feelings of a connection to something much bigger than ourselves. It is undeniable as we stand before a tree, or in our gardens, or seeing the sky above or the rush of a river flowing by us as we stand on the edge. As a world view enlarges it becomes less important to fill our spaces with many items that may in fact diminish a focused energy in our homes and spaces. Imagine if we must choose one or two very important items in our lives and be content with that. This small box of bones is a treasure of meaning and beauty and significance to me. It would be difficult to articulate how one person’s treasure is meaningful to each of us. It is really only something the individual might understand. That is enough for it to be significant. It is this human ability to imbue objects with attachment and meaning that offers us a glimpse into why perhaps we get in over our heads with too much or too many things.

making vessel

One way of finding objects - would be to bring special handmade items into your life and home place. A simple vessel made by a potter can offer so much. It can contain many items over its lifetime. Water that is filling with the sun or moon on a shelf for hours can then bring that energy into your body when you drink it. Flowers that you have gathered on a walk can remind you of your time outdoors. A holder of things. Find what matters to you. Imbue the vessel with who you are and it becomes enlivened with your uniqueness.

A Gathering Basket

A gathering basket will go many places with you. It will go on picnics, haul things around the garden, bring things upstairs with you and carry your items along on a walk. With each carrying time - the basket becomes more important to you - more useful to you. Even more meaningful to you. You may begin to use the basket to create a display when you are not using it as a tool. In this way we find objects that resonate with us in our life. I think a basket is a very useful item to carry in your life. Containers offer use and beauty. Taking care of these objects that live with us will bring to us an art piece to drape our living around.

In our living with objects we find. We find memories that resonate with what that object represents for us. Even if we do not know it consciously. Even when we are drawn in and do not know why. I think that finding enduring beauty can be of use in a world that is over run with too much. Too much of endless meaningless searching. Carefully bring along a few objects of poetry that hold a thread woven across the years. Let the threads sew together that which has carried you along so far. A kind of visual museum of your life - curated in simple and useful or magnificent to only the life ways that you know about. Your own secret magical treasure. Let that meaning find you.

A Writing Exercise: Find an object in your life that holds meaning for you. Write about what you see, feel and understand about this object in your life. What can you discover about yourself that offers you a glimpse into what this holds for you?

Handmade Mug

“Wherever we touch life we form it. It’s an old teaching that man is a microcosm of the universe. If you really feel and internalize that knowledge, it is quite a thing to be a human being, to touch with the hands but also with a thought, a feeling, or a dream.”

— M.C. Richards