Judging from my quiet street in a bedroom community outside of Charlotte, families are drawing closer to each other and to nature. The sidewalks are busier, filled with colorful chalk messages and homages to stained glass while the roads are eerily silent. Guarded smiles are swapped during walks as we keep our distance and wonder what comes next.
There are many more cars gathering pollen in driveways and Facebook posts are filled with family game nights and swapped recipes. The backdrops in those "public" images are intensely personal - a child's cherished drawing along with the sofa that is getting more use than it has in ages.
We see home on display when we watch the news too, as correspondents sit authoritatively in front of their favorite bookcase or fireplace or piece of art they think will impress. Thanks to this pandemic, we know more about our favorite newscasters than ever before. Like Cynthia McFadden is a traditionalist and Chris Cuomo has a sparse basement.
But on a deeper level, it shows the importance of personalizing home for our own comfort and refuge in times like these. If you are like me, your four walls have become a place to heal, dream and take stock of what really matters. In beauty, there is calm.
If you think back to childhood, memories are anchored by the pieces we spent time around - the dining room table, even the "time out" chair. For me, it was the sofa my grandmother expertly sewed the cushions for at Oyama Furniture. In these flashbacks, the people we love are intertwined with the backdrop, linked in fondness. We are building those moments every day, especially in historic times such as these.
So fluff those pillows and do something today to make your space more comforting and happy. For me, azaleas in bud vases and an ottoman carried downstairs for game night make today just a little bit brighter.
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