Home

"There is a magic in that little world, home; it is a mystic circle that surrounds comforts and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits”

~Robert Southey

Every year we idly chat about moving back to South County. The area in which we lived our adult youth also know as the college & post college years. We have mostly fond memories of our lives there both together and separate and it always feels good to go back and visit the old haunts with our friends from that time (who are still our friends at this time!). Well, this year topic of moving has risen once again and I think that we may actually take the conversation to the next level. We might actually see if moving will be possible financially as we are both ready emotionally.

Living where we are now has been quite fine. We are in our home town surrounded by familiar people and sites. Boring, really. I have always felt that this town is a place of utility. It has what I need day to day such as restaurants, general stores, gas stations, a very few interesting shops and close friends nearby. However the energy of this town is dull, droll almost non-existent. Things happen because they are supposed to and that is that. The energy that came from living in both South County and metro Boston is what I long for, what I crave. I guess I enjoy the ebb and flow of the ever changing population of the college kids and the out-of-towners. They provide inspiration for creativity within the shops as well as in the restaurant and bar scene. Of course there are the staple businesses which cannot change or the locals will rise against, but the juxtaposition of old and new is refreshing. Unlike here, stale, unchanging.

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So I seek out the feeling of home. A community, a new adventure. I went looking at houses today. Really I searched the Internet, wrote down some addresses and drove past the properties to see what property size really looks like (what the hell is .32 acre anyway?) and if the photos on the web reflect real life. So drive I did and I am happy that I did! In my search I am beginning to realize what is actually important in a home to me.

At first, my base criteria looked like this:

1. At least 1100 square feet, don't care about land size
2. Does it have a fence to contain the dogs?
3. Central air?
4. New: roof, siding, boiler, burner?
5. NO LESS THAN 1.5 bathrooms
6. No less than 2 bedrooms
7. How is it heated?
8. I'm sure I should know something about the foundation
9. Reasonable price

What I learned today is that the above is very important but I also need:

1. To NOT be on a main road, what if the dogs get out of the yard?
2. To be near some sort of general store or pharmacy, just in case
3. To be in a neighborhood not just in a house plopped somewhere
4. To have privacy
5. To be able to join the hustle & bustle but also to escape
6. To not be ON TOP OF the neighbors
7. To have a house with some character, cookie-cutter doesn't work for me
8. To continue having friends near by
9. To have some land in which to spend time outside
10. To feel home again

What do you think? Am I asking for too much?

Strength

What definition of "strong" are you?  Do you have physical strength where you can bear heavy tangible loads? Do you have mental strength where you are able to make tough decisions with confidence in your choices?  Are you able to think about all you need to do without becoming overwhelmed or are you only able to focus on one thing at a time?  Do you ever really know your own strength before it is put to the test?  Will you surround yourself with those that compliment your weaknesses or those who are exactly like you?

Time - Conceptually

And they are told: "Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, re-created anew. Therefore, he understood, there is, in truth, no Past, only a memory of the Past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it."

thief of time- Terry Pratchett

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Picture a perfect New England spring day. One in which the weather is comfortable enough to open your windows to air out the house. A day in which the weather is pleasant to be outside to do yard work, to read with a beer or glass of wine, or to just sit and take it all in. These moments are rare, but do occur in our fast-paced lives. You live in the moment. You live for Now. You don't look to the future or to the past. Just Be.

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I wonder if this is what life is like for some of those that I teach. Are they lucky enough to have this time where I am barely able to afford it? Will they allow me to sit in the Now with them or keep it all to themselves. Can I recognize when my students are experiencing this and will I encourage it or move them along to where I need them to be? I think this is a topic not thought often enough about. Maybe it's Time.