Many years ago I had a conversation with my grandmother regarding the smaller room size and lack of closet space many older homes such as mine share in common.
My 1930’s side-hall colonial was constructed in the same decade that the Empire State Building was completed, Parker Brothers released the now famous “Monopoly” board game and Amelia Earhart made her historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Grams looked at me funny for a moment before saying, “You forget, we didn’t have as many things as you kids have today and we were better off for it. In older homes you went to your bedroom to sleep, your kitchen was just for preparing food and with only a handful of dresses, your closet never needed to be that big.”
My grandmother and many others from her generation lived their lives with far less than many of us could ever imagine — in a word “simplicity.” They worked harder for what little they had and therefore developed a greater appreciation for the possessions we often take for granted. For them, a house was just a place you lived, but it was those who lived there who made it feel like home.
There’s no arguing that everyone, even me, hopes to one day move out of their older home and into a bigger and better place to call home. But if the people you share it with do nothing more than occupy its square footage rather than inspire your heart, all you really have is a house.
“The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there.” Ellie Rodriguez
