Through the Keyhole

When I became a mom in 2017, I opened social media to find a culture shift had begun. Countless influencers who were suggesting that "less" was everything. The trends at the time told me to declutter, simplify, and strip my life of anything unnecessary. Nurseries were to be filled with wooden toys, that realistically, no child actually played with. Living rooms were swathed in sterile white and beige, with no pops of color and no personality. The goal was calm, minimalism, order... homes that looked more like hotels than havens of family life.  To be honest, I bought into some of it. It did look nice - clean, polished, serene. But the need to assimilate faded quickly. I believe it was because, a hotel is a nice place to visit but home is where you live. Our home is a picture of our life story, clues to our interests and life stages. Home is a place to make memories, to grow up, raise a family or grow old in. Home doesn't feel like home when it looks like a hotel. I no...

The Power of Nostalgia : Why We Long for the Past and Why It Matters Almost everyone has one, sometimes it's on the shelf in the closet, sometimes it's slid under a bed, up in the attic or in a cedar chest at the foot of a bed. Sometimes it's a shoebox, or maybe a reused cardboard box or plastic bin. But whatever form it takes, almost every home has one. Some people would rather not look inside, others simply choose not to make time but when we open it, we are often overcome by a sensation that sweeps us away.  A keepsake box or memory box is one of the most powerful material possessions we have next to the bible. Even the photo albums on your phone or computer can't compare because they lack the power to awaken as many senses. The touch, the sight, the smell, or the sound can be all it takes to transport us back in time, through a powerful sensation that aches in the most wonderful way. This experience is known as nostalgia.  But what is nostalgia? Is it j...