Take a look around your home, whether it is huge or small. It may be a stepping-off place or your dreamhome. It doesn’t matter. It’s your place as long as you live there. How can you bring your home more in line with what you love? Do you have hobbies or interests that could decorate your home with style? How about vacation destinations that remind you of relaxation and peace or adventure? Artfully arrange photos, souvenirs, and collected rocks or purchase fabric resembling the locale as an accent to remind you of good times. Go all out and do both.

And then there is clutter. Clean it up. It more than pays in serenity to organize and keep everything picked up. Finding things is easier and it reduces the threat of a sprained ankle. There is little more repelling to the home bound senses than walking through the door to litter. It clogs the flow of energy, wreaks chaos in the mind and doesn’t feel good. Why live with disorder when tidiness is only a practiced habit away?

What do you see when you come home? Is it pleasing to the eyes, ears, nose and to the touch or do you cringe and settle in with other distractions to avoid noticing displeasing things? Getting rid of stuff you don’t use or love is a good start. Whether that takes weeks or days to accomplish, it’s the first and most important step. Do it as quickly as possible because it’s too easy to dismiss it altogether. Though it may seem like a daunting task it’s not that difficult once you get into it. When the canvas is clean, the fun begins. It’s time to make appealing changes.

Placement of furniture is next on the list. If replacing pieces that don’t work together is not an option, that’s okay but repairing furniture is a must. Broken things should either be tossed or fixed. Sitting on a wiggly chair doesn’t feel secure. Whether conscious of it or not the mind is aware. A home is a place to feel safe. Arranging furniture needs to be considered in the same way. How best can it be placed to make it comfortable, functional and secure? Leaving enough room to walk without bashing shins is good. Allowing space for energy flow is also a helpful. When there isn’t enough room, the mind becomes cramped and stifled. It would be better to get rid of unnecessary pieces than to crowd the place. Feeling free in your own home opens the mind to creativity, exploring and clear thinking.

Now comes the creative part: embellishing, decorating, being the artist. What do you have that you love or turns you on? What do you enjoy looking at? Think of colors, objects, textures, forms. What reminds you of happiness and good feelings? Is there anything deficient in your life that needs something to bring in renewed energy?

Play with decorating your home. Have a good time. If you love how it looks, then great. If not, change it. We are everchanging in a fast world.

How you feel, at all times, is how your life is. Your home reflects who you are and where you want to be. When you come home it’s nice to breathe in the freshness of your shelter and be glad you have arrived. Make your home a lovely dwelling that invites you in, offers you peace and gives you comfort.

©2006