My 4 Golden Rules to a Perfect Home

 And Here’s Why.

I’ve been making homes all of my life. The first one I can remember was under a tree. It had upended plant pots to sit on, a cardboard box for a table, hay stuffed pillow cases to sleep on and part of an old air vent for a cooker. Hours were spent entertaining in this makeshift house, and visitors included mum and dad, little sisters, friends and all of mybear collection. Our homes are our bedrock, our foundation, our nest, our retreat. They are reflective of what we are, what we give and our state of mind. Why do we like visiting some homes and feel uncomfortable in others? I have been in so many now – personally and professionally, that I can read them like a book… and I’m rarely wrong!

A beautiful, cosy home has very little to do with money or size but everything to do with making the best of what you have. Through my work with The Brook Horse Hospital I visited India, travelling with a vet to some of the poor villages outside Delhi. On the list for this particular day was a family of thirteen who all lived together and depended on their mule for everything. It took the children to school, and dad and brothers to work in the sugar fields. Sadly the mule had been in an accident; his back legs were badly cut and if not treated would become infected. The mule would then be lame and unable to work in the sugar fields. If this happened the family would not eat. On entering their home the vet and I were greeted with overwhelming warmth. Tea was brewed and the only chair they had was brought out for me to sit on. I was taken into the kitchen where tin cans had been appropriated and made into everything from lights to storage vessels and then through into the lounge where bright material adorned the whitewashed mud and brick walls. In the bedrooms the linen was threadbare but cared for and spotless. I could have spent hours in that house. They had so little but it was a real home – their absolute pride and joy.

So, just have a quick look around you… are you making the best of your surroundings and the things that you have? Do you care? Is your home something you’re proud of? Or are elbow grease and organisation words from an alien language? I don’t know whether you live on your own, with friends, partners or in a family situation, but there is always someone who tends to take overall responsibility for the running of the home. And if I were to hazard a guess (because you’re taking the time to read this) I would say it was YOU! Have a look at my 4 Golden Rules and start taking some action. Admittedly you will be exhausted when you get to the end but the feeling of smug satisfaction will be worth it. And when everyone around you starts to reap the benefits of a clean, cosy, organised home they won’t want to go back, I promise you!

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