Okay, here we are, embarking on a third season of The Pandemic. We’ve all been sheltering in place, adapting, and then slowly slipping back into previous patterns - but certainly by this time with slowly maturing new perspectives and revised routines. For most of us all is not lost, but much has certainly changed. Amidst everything that has been removed, some items and experiences have arrived anew. So, let me present my very old, but perhaps new-sounding vantage, buffed and shined for the Covid era.
Behold these truths, which I submit as self-evident:
The world outside our homes is a rough ride.
Amidst our journey on an increasingly challenged planet, the actions of others will daily impact our lives.
No matter how fine and in control we believe our lives to be, the idea that we are one commanding maestro of our own fate will inevitably be debunked.
And so, that bright old idea: the places we call home need to perform as safe havens and, ultimately, SANCTUARY. They need to be more than a secure respite behind locked doors. They need to be restorative and rejuvenating oases. They need to be SUSTAINABLE sources of energy that return us to the world with renewed vigor and confidence and a belief that we are ready for the rough ride, the letdowns and the twists of fate that await us. And the more we cultivate this domestic embrace, the happier we will be.
Amidst a cascade of other uncertainties that await beyond our front doors, the question is, “how do we make a sustainable sanctuary now?” So much of our lives – work, school, socializing (either virtual or actual) – is now from home. Other aspects like exercise, spa treatments, holidays/vacations, and even food production now often qualify as residential pursuits. Where, then, is the reclusion from everyday events if all the everyday events occur at home?
The answer is outside. Now more than ever the idea of developing a residential place of happiness requires attention from property line to property line and not just from wall to wall. The sanctuary you seek awaits just outside your doors, and it’s time to create it.
In our next several blog entries, we’ll look at how the “new normal” is translating into exterior design and how landscape architects are poised to lead the redefining of what it means to be home. We’ll also pick up the pace a little bit, no longer waiting for a change in season to prompt our prose. So, stay humble, stay safe, stay healthy… and stay tuned.
DJ