Ooooo, breathe deep.  Stop and sigh, take a tour and view the portraits on the walls, the photos on the shelves.  Feel the cozy belonging way one feels while kneading toes into warm sand or thick carpet.  This is a house full of memory.  Far from ghostly or sinister, these are young memories.  Grand children birthed, coming home from the hospital, growing, learning, holding a spoon, taking first steps, climbing on tables and into  bathroom sinks and exploring toilets, playing with kitchen utensils, baking cookies, taking a nap.

There is a good spirit here, good karma, good vibrations, depending on your choice of vernacular.  The good vibes are emanating from my heart, my soul singing as I feel the spirit of generosity and bounty, and sense that my children have done well and have used their resources wisely.  Their strong work ethic and a commitment to the values of family and friendship have resulted in a well appointed , harmonious home.  This is beyond merely efficient, this is quality of life.

Quality of Life:  slate tile floor, measured, cut, placed and finished by my son, cupboards stocked with necessities , each needed item close at hand in its proper place.  Furniture chosen for form and function, uniquely suited to the space, floor plan, family personality and structure.

There are also deeper, darker, and richer memories that flood my mind and spirit as I pause before yellowed photographs.  Not the dark of somber or unrelenting, depressing clouds;  but dark like chocolate or dusky wine. These memories too, I quaff with bliss for they are vintage now, fully aged in life’s experience, in gratitude and tranquility.  The bitterness of failed or difficult relationships dissolves in the ferment, and in its place, like sweet soul cream, is the thankfulness for lessons learned, peace and tranquility, and thanksgiving for what life provides for the current day.