ABOUT HOME

Today I ‘manned’, or should that be ‘womaned’, a Display Home for family members who are overseas.  In sales talk, it was a ‘steady’ sales day.  And in case you don’t work in sales, on this occasion, it meant that I sat there for a bit more than 3 hours and nobody, not one single person, came in for a peek.   I did not waste time doing nothing though!  Perhaps not aware of exactly what I was doing at the outset, it soon became clear that I was growing up.  You see, this gorgeous display home which consists of 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge room , theatre room, computer room, enormous alfresco, fish ponds, courtyards and the like, is pretty much what we all aspire to own.  It’s been finished off with only the very best and latest flooring, wall papers, feature walls, tiles, splashbacks, mirrors, built ins and the rest.  Overall, she is one classy girl and she speaks money.  Despite this though, there was no warmth, no life, no vibe. There was no comfy chair like the daggy one I like to sit in at home. No worn but warm rug underfoot.  The lamps were high fashion but not at all functional.  The floors were expensive and high shine but also cold and unwelcoming.  Even outdoors was made more for looking at than being in.

What was happening?  This girl who had been flirting with me for months now suddenly looked like a teenager wearing too much make up.  Her inexperience showed.  There were no laugh lines or frown lines, no signs that she had weathered and survived obstacles and trials.  No lumps, no bumps. No warmth or kindness.

Now I’m certain that time and family will fix that lack of ‘je ne sais quoi’, but what I learned today is that the old adage ‘a home is not bought it is made’ is indeed true.   A home is not just a building, it is made of diverse personalities and their untidy idiosyncracies.  Made of mismatched furniture, of grotty light switches, of wear and tear at doorways.  Made of pain and sadness, joy and  gladness, but  mostly of the energy which resides within.  So I will no longer be seduced by this beautiful girl.  I am wiser than her and can finally see that no beautiful house could ever be a match for my beautiful home.