Dear friend,
Having a good home is pretty grounding. Having a safe place to launch from is not a luxury. It’s non-negotiable. A place where you can let your guard down, a place where you feel accepted and maybe not just accepted, but loved and adored. A place where you can just be you, where you aren’t on eggshells.
I had a place filled eggshells. Where my home was not a home, but more like a mine field. Some people can create this type of hell within your walls. It was some of the darkest times of my life. I was just floating without a base.
A home is a physical container for your soul, your journey. Why do you think we feel so relieved to be home after a long trip? Because it reminds us who we are.
No, we don’t need a model home, but a place where every little thing has a story, where the coffee cups make sense, where you chose your cutlery, where you hung the art that brings joy to your heart. This is the home that I hope you can create and experience in this life. A place that can really hold you, nourish you, give you warmth and belonging. I live in such a place.
My children and I live in a three bedroom condo in the heart of Arlington with sunset views. For most Americans it’s hard to accept that I am raising my children in a high-rise. That’s not the real American Dream. But it is for me. Our home is sacred. Our home is filled with peace, acceptance, warm food, love and my favorite things, meaningful things.
I grew up in Soviet Lithuania. When I was born my parents were assigned a room in a 1BD apartment. We shared a bathroom and a kitchen with another family. Then my second sister was born 2 years later. When my 3rd sister was born we moved into our own 1BD apartment. That’s where I lived most of my childhood. It was a place of function, there weren’t clear boundaries between living area, bedroom - we were everywhere! I did have my own little corner with a desk in it. I made it my own.
The one thing that really bothered me was our view. There was an identical gray 5 story apartment block building right in front of us. Just concrete. It felt so limiting, closed off. I dreamed of a place with an open view…
With love, Renata