New Neighbors

We have new neighbors moving in next door. I have met them but don’t know them well. What I do know is they love their home and are restoring it to its original beauty. We are thrilled when folks love historic homes and work to bring them into the modern world. Homes are similar to humans in that way. A home maintained well is a joy to see, but everyday maintenance is required. During our almost eighteen months of COVID, we were all in our homes more than ever I am able to remember. At Home Depot, I see the armies of home owners now at Home Depot buy dry wall, paint, sheds, tools, fixes, etc. for repairing or renewing these now 24/7 places of work and refuge called home. Think about this process. When you spend a great deal of time in a home, you notice what needs attention and you repair. When you’re there only for sleep and dinner, you are able to ignore those needs, and in time, the homes show the disrepair of lack of interest.

Carry this thought over to families. Americans are normally on the go. If there are families with children, life centers around sports, schools, children’s needs with few thoughts of looking at the big picture. We are also a collegial group who love congregating in bars and restaurants. Parents are busy attending functions, working, feeding their children with nary a moment left for deep conversations with spouse and children, or considering the direction that all they love are going toward. Perhaps with all the problems we have faced with this pandemic, we may have had the space and time to review what we believe is of real importance in life, and whether our current helter-skelter lives are a road to reaching our real goals.

K. B. Pellegrino, Author