“The faint sent of lavender linen water – lavishly sprinkled on the sheets at the time they were ironed – floated in the upstairs hallway like a half-remembered dream” (From Saving CeeCee HoneyCut)
Peculiar and unfamiliar words to the working mom in survival mode. Lavendar linen water? Ironed sheets? Not in my house. On the contrary, if I can just do enough laundry to ensure we all get to wear clean underwear, then "Shazam!" I’ve conquered the world of domesticity.
Even though my life is marked by infrequently changed bed sheets and frozen lasagnas for dinner, something in my heart lept as I read many of the warm images captured in this novel dripping in southern hospitality. I was drawn in by many cozy feelings while simultaneously hard-pressed to reconcile the outrageous gap between this world and mine. A gap created not only by the pressures of time, but by poverty of imagination, as well.
I am reminded of what the human body does in an emergency situation. It’s in fight or flight mode that the body begins to shut down the so-called peripheral operations to maintain and preserve critical functioning such as that of the heart and lungs. I can’t help but think that the fight or flight mentality of contemporary busyness has done something similar to my life. I calculate my limited resources to ensure that homework is done, tummies are full, and we all wear fresh undies. And yet something is clearly lost. Something that I miss. A sense of frivolity that allows me to be creative and playful in my home. Maybe it’s cooking a new dish with fresh ingredients or simply doing some deep cleaning. Possibly, I would find it in simply sitting under a blanket fort, eating popcorn and swapping ghost stories with my kids.
As I’ve taken some time to reflect on my life, I’ve begun to ask, how can we, as a busy family, bring some balance to our lives so that we don’t miss the joys of being fully alive in all that we do? Just because I’m a working mom, while I may not be able to sustain some of the habits and routines of my stay-at-home buddies, do I have to give up completely? The recent feelings I have encountered tell me I better not.
While I clearly don’t see the daily aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls or salad straight from my garden in the near future, (Bummer!) I do believe that even our active household could take some baby steps. I think it would start with our imaginations. What kinds of things are important to us as we seek to make this space called a house, our home?
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