Home Again

After an epic 12-hour travel day (taxi to bus to bus to camioneta), we made it home to La Josefina late on Sunday evening. Other than one giant spider on the wall and a sprinkling of bat poop on the floors, our casita was tidy and welcoming. I could almost feel our collective nervous system take a deep breath as the kids settled in -- romping through the house, kissing stuffies left behind, flipping through books from the bookcase. We even got Dillon to take a shower, after which he exclaimed, "Our shower is so much better than the one in Cuenca!"


We are home.

I have written previously about the concept of home, so I won't berate the point. Let's just say that the feeling we had as we went to bed that night was reassuring. We have managed to create a home here in this tiny house in the humid rural countryside of Ecuador. Yes it's temporary, and yes, we stick out like sore thumbs. Sometimes the mold and mildew feel intractable, and we all miss our people. Cuenca was technically more comfortable -- cooler, urban, more movido, more akin to our "normal" life -- but what we have here in La Josefina contains all that we need to be at home. And, man, that feels good.

Ever since the 2017 Tubbs Fire, which destroyed over 5,000 homes in our home town, Santa Rosans have been pondering the concept of home. We have all had the following conversation countless times: "Are you staying? What makes you stay? What would make you leave? Where would you go?" I can tell you that my family is committed to Santa Rosa. We stayed and continue to stay primarily for the wonderful community (in our neighborhood, our church, our school, my work), but also for the access to nature, the lovely weather, and the bounty of summer peaches, tomatoes, strawberries, and blackberries. We stay because it is home.

And yet, a sweet learning of the last few months is that home is something we have the power to create. It is not one specific construct. Or one place. It doesn't even have to be a setting where we are comfortable all the time. If we are intentional about the ingredients, it can be just about anywhere.
I'll close with my current version of the recipe. Paul would tell you that I am horrible about following recipes, and he's right. I wholeheartedly encourage you to adapt any recipe you stumble across to meet your own needs.

Our (current) recipe for making a place "home"
-1 family
-A few good friends who missed us while we were away and were excited for our return
-A little house with our beds, our books, our legos, our art supplies, and a pretty decent shower
-1 bunny + 1 spoiled chicken
-1 fresh pineapple from the market
-Freshly baked mora muffins for breakfast
-One unfinished home project (for Paul)
-5 different kids playing in our house from the moment school let out until long after the sun went down
-1 evening walk in nature (for Vero)




Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 6, 2022 at 6:56 PM

    You do sound “at home”—lovely! We miss you though.

    ReplyDelete

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