I am an avid reader of British murder mysteries. One of my favourite authors is P. D. James who has brought the indefatigable Commander Adam Dalgliesh to life in many a spellbinding tale.
Who would have thought that this fictional character, so focused on tracking down murderers and seeking sinister clues, would also be a poet and gentleman philosopher in his free time? Perhaps that is why, in A Taste For Death, while searching the home of a possible murder suspect, Commander Dalgliesh makes this remarkable observation on the nature of 'home':
"There are rooms designed to be got away from, bleak anterooms where the armour is buckled on to confront the real world outside. There are rooms to come back to, claustrophobic refuges from the arduous business of work and striving. This room was a world in itself, a still centre provisioned with economy and care but containing everything necessary to its owner's life …"
In my book, Nest Building, I talk about the role of 'home' as a safe haven: "a place that offers sanctuary from all that has gone on during the day". It is also a place that "provides relaxation and the promise of restoration so that tomorrow you are ready to do it all again".
Commander Dalgliesh, however, takes it a step further and talks about home as a world in itself; in other words, a destination in its own right, complete and satisfying. It is a place to enjoy and experience as considerably more than a comfy layover to rest in, or prepare for battle in, en route to somewhere else. I think that is a very important observation and a reminder to all of us to make sure our living places are not only relaxing and restorative, but also stimulating, challenging, entertaining and fulfilling.
This is the sense of 'home' I aspire to: a place of completeness without sacrificing flexibility or succumbing to complacency.
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