I’m
not sure exactly what makes the comforts of home a true expression.
That’s not to say I disagree with it. But I think there’s a lot
of possibilities.
Obviously,
the simplest ideas come from the environment. The items you have
selected to surround yourself with, how you display them, and
when you use them. There’s a reason for the pictures you hang
on the walls, where you place your favorite chair, and even what
television stations are most regularly viewed. I’ve never shopped
to fill your refrigerator, but you likely have an assortment of
juices and food inside that satisfy your tastes more than they
do anyone else.
You
get the idea. It’s comfortable because it’s built around your
preferences and cravings.
But
it could also be built on the familiarity of the surroundings.
Have you ever spent the night at a friend’s house, in a neighborhood
you don’t know that well? Maybe you don’t know how to find a glass
of water in the middle of the night with the lights out while
you’re there. Perhaps the sounds of passing cars in the street
wake you up.
Simple
enough here. It’s comfortable because you know what’s going on.
If
you’re driving home, how do you know you’re closing in? Is it
a neighbor’s house? The mailbox? The fence along the driveway?
Stepped
outside tonight. Gorgeous sky up above. Lots of stars out, and
the annual Perseids meteor show has been on full display the past
few evenings. Nice, peaceful few moments.
Off
to one side, our neighbors keep a few outside lights on all night.
As I consider it here, I don’t know if those lights are on during
the day. Couldn’t tell you if they are on some type of sensor
that kicks the lights on when the sun goes down.
On
the other side, the entire house goes dark when they head off
to bed. I’m guessing they’ve ended the day and headed to sleep.
I don’t watch them every evening. They could be off to the basement
to play cards for several hours and shut things down to save energy
for all I really know. But if the light is on in the backyard,
you can usually see a light or two on and a television-like glow
coming from the area of their living room. If the light is off
in the backyard, all of the lights in their house are off. I’m
going with things closed down for the night.
The
idea here though is this is what’s familiar to me. Whether day
or night, if I’m headed to a car in our driveway, or off to the
shed, or for whatever reason realize I need to pick something
in the garden, the events taking place in the yards around me
feel right. The lights that are on or off, the people I might
acknowledge with a wave, the cars I see in various driveways.
And
it’s not the physical comforts that create that as much as the
familiar comforts.
Last
night something fun happened. It’s happened before, and it cracks
me up every time. I had grabbed a drink and stepped out onto our
deck. Sat down at the table just hoping to grab a few quiet minutes
to end my day. Two houses down, the backyard is set up with a
motion sensor spotlight. Every so often, something will set it
off. All of our yards are regularly visited by racoons, skunks,
chipmunks, squirrels, turkeys and more. It’s country living. Foxes,
beavers and woodchucks are setting up dens not too far away. Motion
sensor lights flash on enough that it’s never unexpected, even
though it’s not common.
When
the light in their yard illuminates in the middle of the night,
it reaches our yard. Occasionally it happens and I’ll find out
I’m not alone in my yard. Last night, when the light came on,
I learned that two deer were about thirty feet away from me. I
had no clue of their presence until that light came on. I slowly
raised my lemonade in their direction and nodded, hoping to extend
a bit of a greeting while not scaring them, and watched them for
a bit until the light went out a few minutes later. I have no
clue if they left before I went inside.
At
some point soon, we’ll be setting off to visit our parents. We
usually stay with mine, and while everything is fantastic, you
quickly learn the things that aren’t a part of your routine. Trash
collection and lawn mowing and more scheduled events kick off
the days far earlier than they do near my house.
It
doesn’t feel odd, as all of it represents things I grew up with.
We’re welcome there, and it does have the comforts of home. It
just doesn’t have the comforts of home. If you know what I mean.