Coming home to work

There was a time for me, not so long ago, when work meant something academically and intellectually stimulating in a location that was excitingly-far from home. And home was just the place that I hung out in between days at work, parties and exercising. Housework was a bad word in those days and I found no joy in doing those things that made our house a home. I wanted to be out and about, free from the constraints of doing the mundane in a house (because that didn't feel important to the world).
But then I had my two daughters, developed post-natal depression after each, left my teaching job on stress-leave and found myself only able to function at home, which led to further stress and a disjunction between my ideas about valuable work and what I was able to do. I felt useless.

Most of that was a few years ago now, and after some treatment for PND and a lot of re-thinking about the importance of things, I'm realising the joy I get from coming home to work. I've found ways to love washing the dishes (yes, I really love it, not just tolerate it), I make my own laundry powder and this empowers me each time I wash clothes and of course I love slow cooking stews and soups with homegrown veggies, knitting for my girls and looking after our chickens and guinea pigs. Life has slowed down a lot and I feel like a whole person now.
Wendyl Nissen talks about coming home to work in her book A Home Companion (one of my favourites) from a high powered career.

"So I came home to work and discovered the ancient art of nurturing and somewhere along the way harnessed a goddess or two I found lurking inside"

I've been reading similar stories since. Perhaps its something that's more appealing to me now that I'm a parent, but nevertheless, there seems to be a movement back toward working at home, working from home and most importantly, making home the main focus of your work.

Recently my lovely Mother sent me an email of a story from the Simple Savings forum about the importance of home:

"What place do you dream of creating that speaks of these things, what books live there, what hot drinks are favourites in your home, do you have a snuggery? Does your home smell good? Is it clean? Is the crockpot simmering with good things?

Happy homes lovely people.