Your home is living space so start enjoying your collections

“Your home is living space, not storage space.” ― Francine Jay

As a young boy, there was an unmistakable difference between my grandmother’s house and my great-grandmothers. My grandmother’s house was a warm, comforting, welcoming place, which was soon realized by anyone walking through the front door. My great-grandmother’s, by contrast, was more like a museum filled with “collections” – where everything was there for you to see but not touch, let alone sit on!

When my great-grandmother passed away, all the furnishings and decorations which she’d purchased over the years and treasured for decades were sold or discarded with little importance. What’s sad is that she never let anyone truly enjoy any of them – not even herself. It begs the question, if you and those around you can’t enjoy the “things” you surround yourself with, then why have them to begin with?

People like my great-grandmother had forgotten that your home is living space, and furnishings and decorations have an intended purpose, not merely to be put on “display” for much of their lives.

Cars are meant to be driven, not sitting in garages covered up from the world and only taken out on perfect weather days – which are infrequent. A few minor dents and scratches are perfectly natural and solidifies the reality that you’re actually driving and enjoying the vehicle you wanted. 

Cutting boards are meant to be cut on. The enjoyment of using a quality set of knives on even the best cutting board will probably leave some marks. But that’s okay! That means you’re exploring your culinary abilities and cooking something wonderful for your family.

Here are a few more:

• Couches are to be sat on, or used for the occasional afternoon nap. 
• Grass is meant to be played on by kids and adults of all ages.
• Dishes are to be eaten off of, not used as decorations that rarely leave the china cabinet.
• Towels are for drying your hands, not to just hang on a hook forcing guests to use their pants.
• Favorite sweaters should see more than just the inside of your closet.
• Bedspreads are meant to be jumped on without reservation.
• Jewelry should be given a chance to shine outside of a jewelry box.
• Floors will get dirty, but that’s what they make vacuums and mops for.

I think you get the point. Your home is living space and your life should be about enjoying that which you’ve worked so hard and are so blessed to have. So stop protecting what you consider your “valuables” and start doing more than just staring at them. 

For at the end of your life, no one else will appreciate them as much as you did, so enjoy them while you can.