I am a homebody. In fact, if I make plans with you, I really like you because I absolutely love being home. I love not having plans on the weekends. My eye starts to twitch a bit when I look at the calendar and see multiple events stacked on back-to-back weekends. I try not to let it get to me, but sometimes it does.
Being forced to stay home during COVID shutdowns was actually something I loved. I don’t really get stir crazy. Sure, I like to go out and have fun, but I love any excuse to be comfy and cozy in my own house.
I laughed the other day when I saw a quote while scrolling that asked someone what they were doing that weekend and the response was, “I’m enjoying my mortgage.” I got a kick out of it because I can relate. You bust your tail to be able to afford a nice house and all the amenities. You better believe I’m getting my money’s worth and enjoying it. My husband and I always joke that we hate people once we are out and mingling among them. You think you don’t mind people much until you walk into Costco on a Saturday and begin questioning your life’s decisions. We don’t really hate people I guess, but when you’re at home, you don’t have to deal with others after dealing with them all week.
I love a weekend when you have no plans and can linger in pajamas. I love to read or bum around my garden. I love to be in my kitchen and hear the kids playing in the next room or watch them out the kitchen window. I love a day where the kids are home all day and last night’s pajamas turned into today’s loungewear. Unwashed hair, yoga pants, no makeup, and no plans is my kind of weekend. Sign me up!
I love getting into bed and reading until I fall asleep. If I get the right book that I can sink my teeth into, forget about it! I can get so wrapped up in a story that I am swallowed whole. How about on a cold night with the fire going and a juicy Dateline playing? The wife that had the affair with the pastor and poisoned her husband. Yep, sounds just like a cozy night right up my alley.
I have friends who are totally opposite of me. They like to have plans and those are the people who love to get things scheduled. You get the ping on your phone asking what you’re up to that weekend. My immediate thought is OMG I just want to be home. She is going to ask us to do something. Then I realize it’s my best friend asking that I don’t hate and we will have fun, but my initial reaction is always that I don’t want to leave my house.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a schedule. I do like having a plan and organization. I actually thrive on it. But I sure love a day at home being lazy. A date night at home with a nice bottle of wine and steaks on the grill is a slice of heaven for me.
And don’t even get me started on my patio. If sitting on the patio and watching the world go by or appreciating the fruits of our labor with our yard were a sport, I’d be an Olympian. I tell Alexa to play my favorite playlist with the backyard lights on and see no reason to leave my house ever again.
I think part of it comes from being overscheduled to begin with. By the time I’m home, I just want to be home. When you work full time and have kids in various activities, you relish the simple time spent at home together as a family.
There is something simple about being home that is so peaceful and comfortable. You can tune out the world and not be so rushed. All week long, I feel like it’s a rat race to meet all of your obligations. Even if you’re happy at your job like I am and work with people who are genuinely your friends, you long for the simple comforts at home. The sweat pants, the familiar voices on the newscast, the special spot on the couch, your particular coffee mug or wine glass, and slippers. Oh, and the snacks are pretty good at home, too.
Home is such a cozy word. In fact, it’s not the house itself that I long for. It is the people and our familiar routines and the happy times that we share together that I love.
“Is there a more beautiful word than ‘home’? Home is warmth, home cooked meals, cozy stories, a gentle hug, a place to wipe away the tears, and memories that last a lifetime.” – Simple Living Mama
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Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.