Our homes, our nests…say so much about who we are and what we value.  From the decor, to the temperature, to the lighting, to the amount of time we spend in them alone or surrounded by guests.  Personally, I am a flock creature.  If I could have my entire flock (friends, family, neighbors) eating, drinking, laughing and playing in my nest 3 or 4 times a week, I totally would.  I love bringing people together for moments of joy and celebration, I have been known to make up events to celebrate.  Chocolate fondue fountain game night anyone?   With that said until quite recently, alone time had always been a struggle for me.

I have many friends and peers who have very different nests than mine, different in every way and the coolest thing is that their nests are so uniquely them and so special.  I have learned and grown so much as a person by visiting other people’s nests.  I have grown to embrace the privacy, calm and creativity of an artist friends home.  So, different than mine, it and she have shown me that being alone within a space where your mind can wander freely and create without distraction is bliss.  Though not completely alone in that space, I spend hours in deep internal thought and generative thinking/listening.

I have learned to relax some pretty strong OCD tendencies from spending time in collector’s nests, picked up some amazing organizing tips from friends with tiny nests and felt the power of hanging your own art from many artist friends.   I hope my nest has had the similar impact on some of them.

I encourage everyone to make their nest, exactly who the are, even if it’s a rented nest, you can make it special.  Don’t stop at the essentials, display what you love, surround yourself with memories of joyful times and share the space with people who are special to you.  Choose lighting and temperature, location based on what you truly love, not just proximity to Starbucks or work.  Think about the location of the space in the building if it’s an apartment, do you want to be upfront with people coming & going, do you prefer the upper floors with a view of the treetops?  Who will your neighbors be?  You spend so much time in the nest, make it one you’ll love.