Agree, Disagree? Home Is a Physical Space; It’s Also a State of Mind

Notebook with handwritten text saying "Home is a physical space, it's also a state of mind".

From Further Secrets of Adulthood: Home is a physical space; it’s also a state of mind.

Agree, disagree?

I thought about this issue a lot as I was writing Happier at Home. What is “home?” What makes a place “homey?” How can I make the physical space of my home more comfortable — and how can I influence my state of mind?

As Harlan Coben told me, “You bring your own weather to the picnic.”

I’m always trying to identify the iron laws of the universe. There aren’t many.  (Send me your suggestions, if you have them.)

Here’s one: You’re better off if you get enough sleep.

Here’s another: It’s hard to be happy if you’re not happy at home. Of course, people’s idea of “home” can be very different.

That’s why it seemed to me that the effort to make home more homey (and then to write a book about it!) was truly worthwhile.

Have you found any good strategies to help ensure that your home is welcoming — both as a physical space and as a state of mind?

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