The advent of the coronavirus and the steps we are advised to take to control it have thrown into sharp focus the vital but often ignored core of our lives: our homes. “Stay at home,” “Work from home,” “Self- isolate at home” is advice on every website and everyone’s lips.
How this advice is greeted depends very much on the homes involved and our feelings about them. For some of us, this is a dream come true. It offers the chance to jump off the activity-driven treadmill of our working lives and to spend some time back in the “nest.” To finally take down those unread books on our shelves, curl up in a favorite armchair, and make the most of this unplanned holiday from the “normal.” Or perhaps it’s chance to get into the garden, or tidy the attic, write that novel, or phone those old friends we kept promising we would. This response comes from the sense of home as a place of welcome retreat, well-resourced for our needs day by day, and especially in times such as these.
For some of us, though, the thought of having to spend a fortnight—or 40 nights—at home, is one of dread. Or, if not dread, then at least a kind of claustrophobia or “cabin fever.” (It is worth noting here that no one has suggested actual home imprisonment, so driving the car, walking in the park, as long as we are feeling well, remain sensible distractions.) For this group, life is definitely elsewhere—at work, out with friends or colleagues. Home is less a place of sanctuary and more a place we are all too ready to leave each day.
Some of the differences in response come down to our personalities and our personal circumstances. For somebody living alone, self-isolation might feel like a sentence to solitary confinement. For a parent of lively children the prospect of the schools closing and extended “home-time” might not initially make his or her heart leap with joy.
Some of the differences are economic and geographic. If I live in a leafy suburb, close to shops, in a house in good structural and decorative order, I am more likely to see my home as a retreat than if I find myself facing housing challenges in a more deprived or remote area.What is transformational for both groups is the quality of our relationships inside and outside the home. A person living alone but able to rely on the phone calls and practical support of family, friends, and neighbors can be confident that they will not be forgotten. A family used to their own space and activities may find that semi-enforced time together presents more tensions than usual. For this reason, the evergreen virtues of patience, fortitude, and charity in the home are never more clearly needed than now.
