The title seems a bit wacky, but if you really think about it, you can see what I’m getting at. The idea of being at home or ‘home’ is a meant to convey a warm, safe, welcoming feeling. Ever been to a friend or family member’s house and have them tell you, ‘you’re home’, or ‘make yourself at home?’ How did that make you feel?
Home is officially defined as: residence: the place where a person, family or household lives; family group. The vast majority of us have an address and reside there, but can you say that you really and truly live in your home? There are some folks who don’t enjoy being at home and don’t even realize it, they just avoid it. Whatever you call it - your residence, dwelling, abode, habitat, quarters, domicile, address, house, crib, flat……how much do you enjoy being at home?
Remember the neighborhood where you grew up, and the house where all the kids seemed to hang out? It wasn’t always the most beautiful, well-furnished or largest house. Sometimes, it wasn’t even the cleanest house. A good spirit was what that neighborhood house had. It was the place where neighborhood kids felt most welcome, happiest, nurtured, where they got the warmest feeling, had the most fun. We can set the mood to affect how our homes make us feel as individuals and how ’at home’ it makes others feel.
Generally speaking, we don’t think about setting a particular mood in our home unless there is a special occasion, or if we are out to impress a someone. Imagine the very common Valentine’s day movie scenario where the guy or girl wants to surprise their loved one and celebrate the occasion. Lights, camera, action! …….the door opens to an entryway, revealing a path of rose petals leading to an open doorway……scented candles chart the dimly lit path, while romantic music plays softly in the background…..pan through the open doorway to a bedroom, where a bottle of bubbly and two glasses is visible on the night stand next to the bed, where rose petals gently dot the surface around the outline of a scantily clad figure lying there, as seen by the moonlight sifting through an open window, where a gentle breeze blows through the curtains….you get the picture, right? You can almost smell those roses, can’t you? That’s the smell of romance.
We all set the mood in our homes, whether we’re conscious of it, or not. You’ve surely been told or heard someone say that baking smells are good smells to have in a home during open houses, when you’re trying to sell it. Those smells are meant to convey warm and welcoming feelings, to make people want to spend more time looking around, imagining themselves living in your home (ka-ching!!)
Home really is a state of mind. Have you ever walked into a home, any home and gotten a cold feeling, or a feeling you couldn’t quite explain, that left you feeling a bit off-kilter? Or have you ever gone into a home and gotten a feeling that lifted your spirits, made you feel good, like you just wanted to hang out there? Sometimes it’s a smell, sometimes just a feeling. Setting the mood in your home is good, but for sure, you also want to be in happy, healthy relationships with the people who live in your home with you. That certainly will help determine how much time you spend at home.
There are different ways of enlivening the mood of your house. Keeping houseplants is a very good way to perk up the spirit of your home. Not those very fake plants that look surprisingly real, but living, breathing plants that require water and light. Not only do real plants keep the air in your home clean, but they also have a life-force all their own, and they just make you feel good. Change those artificial plants for real ones and I guarantee you will immediately feel the difference.
Colorful, fresh flowers are also mood lifters, not to mention that the fragrant ones are so naturally pleasant to smell. Think about all those rare occasions when you had fresh flowers in your home. You probably bought them for guests you invited over for that special occasion event. Why did you get them? Because you wanted to impress your guests, to create a happy mood, make the house look festive and set a welcoming and lively atmosphere.
Scented candles are also very effective. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, pure essential oil fragrances affect you physically, spiritually and mentally. For an uplifting mood, real citrus and spicy fragrances are good. During the winter months - the cold and flu season, there are fragrant essential oil blends to disinfect all your spaces. There are fragrant essential oil blends to help relieve stress and affect sleep and relaxation. Need to study for that exam or finish that important presentation for the boss? There are fragrant essential oil blends to naturally help keep you alert and keep your creative juices flowing. Think back to the olden days. Many passages, both biblical and poetic, talk about highly fragrant oils that helped in achieving meditation and reflection. There are modern-day fragrant blends serving the same purpose, interestingly enough using some of the same essential oils, like Myrrh, Cypress and Frankincense.
People will determine how they feel about a house by the way it makes them feel while they’re there. It not only has to do with the spirit of the home as determined by the people living there, but also by the smells. ‘Home is where the heart is,’ is a very old and familiar saying. Don’t wait for a special day to set the mood, liven the spirit in your home. Live it daily, make it the norm.
