I often think about how creating a Home Sanctuary is all about the
senses. Having a place of refuge in this busy world means that when you
walk through the door, you feel "Home."
This is my place.
This is my sanctuary.
This is my refuge.
You
can close the door on the world of high gas prices and international
turmoil, office politics and play group drama. You can circle the
wagons, so to speak, and live in your own little shelter from the
storms.
And I know that we all struggle with the clutter
of life...the toys, the laundry, the junk mail...and we spend a lot of
time on doing things to make our homes LOOK nice. That's important
stuff, because how your home looks affects your sanctuary in a big way.
But
for today I'd like to focus on another important sense, and that is hearing.
What does your home sound like today?
Stop
and pay attention to what is bombarding your sense of hearing and you
might be surprised. TV's, radios, phones, traffic....we are constantly
hearing things that we've learned to "tune out," yet affect our sense of
peace.
Today's Small
Thing is really simple. It starts with just listening. Listen
to your children play and even bicker (well,
yours probably don't bicker, but mine did). Listen to doors and
cabinets being slammed, footsteps and the volume of media. Listen to
birds chirping, dogs barking, horns blaring.
The second thing is to ask yourself: are
there some things I can control to make my home sound more peaceful?
Could I put felt stoppers on doors and drawers to eliminate the
slamming? (I LOVE FELT STOPPERS!) Could I turn off the TV and radio?
Could my children please use
their inside voices? How about the level of my own voice? Could I play
some beautiful or upbeat music? Sometimes just being aware of sounds
is enough to make me take a little bit of action to do things better. I
want my home to appeal to my ears so that it SOUNDS like home to me.
POINTS: 30 for listening to the
sounds of your home (Oh, Rachel Anne,
could it get any easier than that?)
BONUS: 30 for taking ONE action to
make it sound like a sanctuary
What are you doing today to improve the sound of your home?
