since leaving massachusetts the joke between a particular friend and me is that i've been homeless, and though i am in temporary housing, that inside joke is actually not far from the truth. there is a difference between having a place to live and having a home. this observation came to have greater resonance over this weekend as i undertook the house search process and finally settled on a place to live. as i signed the lease and was handed the keys, i was filled with the sense of having a place here. i was no longer just a newcomer but a resident, and for the first time in a long time, i was ready to nest.
i now have all of this energy and enthusiasm for transforming this new residence from simply a house to a home. i've been poring through catalogs from ikea, crate and barrel, pottery barn, and restoration hardware to get ideas for how to furnish and decorate each room. i'm making a list of all the tasks that need to be completed prior to the formal move-in in a couple of weeks. i'm determined to make this the kind of place i've always wanted to live in. Even though it's a rental, I still think it's time to make myself a home of which i can be proud.
it feels good to be excited about something again. it's been quite a few years since i last felt this way about the place i lived (even in st. louis, my sense of engagement in my home surroundings died out in about 2005). with that being said, i need to remember to do an occasional posting on my progress. i can't wait to see how it all turns out.
