Is being homesick healthy?
The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 13 of 13, SS24 *
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"Homesick" is a strange word. It links illness with the thing that would cure it – being home. Wouldn't "away-sick" make more sense? But "home" is a powerful signifier, and seeing it or hearing it is often enough to evoke that familiar sense of longing.
I've been feeling a bit homesick after six weeks in Montreal. It's embarrassing to admit it, since I love this city and am grateful to have a job that allows for remote work. Still, I occasionally get that kid-at-summer-camp sense of wanting to be back in my usual world.
I don't miss Toronto at all. The longing falls into three categories: first, family and friends; second, my apartment; third, a specific neighbourhood that I don't live in but visit often, the Junction. Since this newsletter is about interiors, let's stick to the second category.
I've lived in the same apartment for almost fifteen years, so it's only natural that being away eventually induces a feeling of incompleteness. There's an initial excitement that it's possible to live with a small subset of my belongings, then a neutral period, followed by an ache, a need to walk through my front door and be surrounded by the art and furniture and ambience that embraces me like a friend.
It's not just about physical objects, though they matter. It's the pattern of movements that it takes to perform everyday tasks. There's a hidden choreography to using the space, visible to no one but myself, and immensely comforting.
There are other type of wellbeing, ones that don't depend as much on the stuff that surrounds us. Still, I'd argue that the material comforts are important cues about the immaterial, the psychological state of being rested, fulfilled, content.
Is being homesick healthy? I can't answer the question for anyone else, but I'd say yes for myself, because it points me to where I most belong.
Elsewhere
One of the first things I'll do when I get back is open the refrigerator door. Why? Because this recent article got me thinking about the potential of this overlooked space:
By
The article only attracted twenty-five comments, but they're a hoot to read because as usual with articles of this kind, there's outrage about why people would devote time to such an arcane practice.
It's funny that readers who are supposedly too busy to attend to such details still have time to read articles on the topic and append them with condescending remarks. I think they're conflicted and secretly want to try rearranging their produce to see what happens.
So, I say: Ignore the naysayers! Your entire home is your canvas, waiting for you to make the art that makes you happy.
Thank you for reading. See you in September!
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