Theory
Being at home, does not mean that we are feeling at home. The rest and
relaxation that engulfs our body and mind, sets serenity around us riding us to
that homely feel. When we are at home, we feel the fragrance of security,
support, comfort, love and joy. At home we are heard and cared, coddled and
cheered. We are in with those special feeling which makes us so much at home.
Well, let us try and find out as to how we can feel the fragrance of our home. Let
us connect emotionally to our home.
1. Get connected with the nature around your house. Within the fencing
boundaries, find as much vegetation, the florets, the butterflies, the piping
birds, running cats and rabbits, the settling dew drops on the grass. The
more your time with these, the more you feel serene and comfortable.
2. Think about being a gardener for a while in the evenings or weekends to
nurture your floral or vegetable garden around your house. The more you
take onus for the garden, its flowers and vegetables, the more you will care
for it. Seeing the fruits of nurturing, your mind will float in joy for sure.
3. Have a chair by the window or in the balcony, which gets illuminated by the
natural light of the sun, and cooled by the flowing swift breeze, and gets
occasionally sprayed by the fragrance of the flowers on the bloom. Use this
spot to read a book, do embroidery, to relax with music and coffee. Let this
be sweet comforting spot for you at home, a spot you would emotionally
connect with.
4. De clutter, organize and beautify your house, so that the entire space looks
visually appealing. Create that visual calmness that enchants you to stay
more at home.
5. Plan and prepare for a day from morning to evening, script your day at
home and then enact the script. Creating a day as you wished gets you the
feeling of fulfilment when you are at home.
6. Live with your loved ones, your family and let your emotions live to fill your
home with joy, empathy, love, care and understanding.
7. Be a cook of the house, the sweeper of your premises, the in house account
and a great manager at your place. Home is the only place where you can
wear many hats and play multiple roles. Play these roles with ease and
comfort.
8. Let the family connect and have their family prayers. Let the family have
their dinner together. Let them gather around the coffee table and sip
coffee together. Create moments of togetherness, and a well knit family is
the foundation of a home of wellness.
Story
Aarohi had lived in Delhi for eleven years. A fast-paced job, a modern apartment,
a circle of friends who planned their weekends in cafés, everything about her life
was efficient, exciting, however, strangely empty. But she never admitted that
last part to anyone, not even to herself.
Her parents lived in a small village in Uttarakhand. They called her every Sunday
without fail.“Beta, when are you visiting?” her mother would ask.
Aarohi would always reply, “Soon Maa, work is hectic, you know how it is.”“Take
care of yourself”, her father would add in his gentle voice. And every time she
hung up, she felt a knot in her throat, one she quickly buried under more work,
more emails, and more deadlines.
One rainy evening, while Aarohi was reviewing a project, she received a call from
her neighbour back home.“Bitiya, your father had a mild fall.,he’s okay, but he
keeps asking for you.”The words hit her like a storm. That night, she booked the
earliest bus and began a journey she had postponed for years.
At dawn, when she reached home, her mother opened the door with eyes full of
tears , not of worry, but of relief. “Aru, you came.”Something inside Aarohi
melted. As she entered the house, an overwhelming wave of emotions washed
over her, the smell of cardamom tea, the warmth of the wooden furniture, the
rustle of her father’s morning newspaper, the faint fragrance of jasmine her
mother always kept near the window, it was as if every memory she had
forgotten greeted her at once.
Her father lay on the bed, a bandage on his ankle but a bright smile on his face.
“See, your mother worries for nothing,” he joked. “I only slipped. Even the floor
wants to hug me.”Aarohi laughed through her tears and held his hand.
For the first time in years, her heart felt full, as if a missing part had quietly
returned to its place.
During the next three days, Aarohi noticed things she had never seen before:
Her mother waking up before sunrise to prepare hot rotis, her father sitting
patiently in the courtyard, talking to birds as though they were old friends, the
neighbour aunties dropping by with fruits without being asked, children running
in the lanes without fear, without hurry. Every night, the sky overflowed with
stars, the kind Aarohi had forgotten even existed. She realized that while she had
been chasing success, she had unknowingly misplaced her peace.
On the last evening of her stay, Aarohi sat alone in her childhood room. The room
still smelled the same, a mix of old books, incense, and her mother’s homemade
sandalwood oil. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and felt something awaken
inside her, a sense of belonging she had not felt in years. It was as if the walls
whispered to her: “You may roam the world, but your roots stay here. This is
where your soul breathes.”Tears rolled down her cheeks, not from sadness, but
from realization.
The next morning, as she prepared to leave, her father said, “Come whenever you
can, beta. But don’t come out of duty, come out of love.”Aarohi smiled, hugged
him tight, and whispered, “I think I finally understand, Papa. Home isn’t a place
we live in; it is a place that lives in us.”As she stepped outside, she carried
something invisible yet powerful, the fragrance of her home, tucked safely in her
heart. And from that day on, she promised herself: No matter how busy life
became, she would return, again and again, to breathe, to heal, to remember
who she truly was.
Learning
Home is not walls, rooms, or furniture. It is the fragrance of love, the aroma of
memories, the warmth of belonging, and the sound of people who call us their
own. In the world outside, we earn a living. But at home, we earn ourselves.
Wherever we go, whatever we become, the deepest parts of us are shaped
by the hands that raised us and the hearts that waited for us. Returning home is
not a journey across distance, it is a journey back to our truth.
Activity
Enlist few steps you will initiate to feel the fragrance of your home.
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Quote
“Home is where the heart is” ~ Pliny the Elder
Takeaways
1. When we are at home, we feel the fragrance of security, support, comfort,
love and joy. At home we are heard and cared, coddled and cheered. We
are in with those special feeling which makes us so much at home.
2. Remember the 8 ways to bring up the feeling at home.