Home offers haven, reason to give thanks

"Not a gift of a cow, nor a gift of land, nor yet a gift of food, is so important as the gift of safety; which is declared to be the great gift among all gifts in this world." "Panchatantra" (originally a canonical collection of Sanskrit as well as Pali animal fables in verse and prose circa the 5th century).

All of us should probably pay more attention to our pets -- and what is important to them. Pets are concerned about having a warm place to sleep, food to eat and a home that makes them feel safe. In reality we humans aren't any different. When we're happy and secure in our homes, life is just better.

A friend had a "pet" hummingbird in her backyard that she named Attila the Hum because it so fiercely defended its feeder from other hummingbirds. Recently, my friend's backyard was upended to install new trees and the old tree that held the hummingbird buffet was removed. During the demolition of her backyard, Attila flew in and out of the backyard frantically searching for its food supply. When a new tree was installed and the feeder rehung, all was right with Attila's world, and it once again took to its perch on another tree to zealously guard its feeder.

My dear departed cat, Rosie, who lived to a ripe old age of 19, had his sanctuaries too, but his most favorite and the one he would literally fight for was his bed. If he (yes, Rosie was a boy -- a very long story) was angry, frightened or just tired, you could always find him in his bed. He flew there when the fire trucks roared up to our house on a scary winter night; he was there when the music, TV or kids were too loud; or when dinner parties were just too annoying. And it was there that he spent more and more time as he continually purred into his dotage. The bed was just a basket with a big pillow. It certainly had no special powers and it offered no "real" protection from anything. But to Rosie, it was his safe haven and his castle.

We should all be so lucky. I know that I am and I'm grateful for it every day. I love going home to my little house and being greeted by the new feline mistress, Sasha; being surrounded by things that mean so much to me; and snuggling in my bed under a yummy down comforter at the end of each day, feeling very safe and secure. It's a sweet life indeed.

Regardless of your personal situation -- married with kids, single, empty nester, big house, tiny space -- I hope you feel even half as happy to be in your space as I do. Do everything you can to make yours beautiful, comfortable, functional and a safe haven for you and your family, and, regardless of its physical dimensions, it will become your castle and your security.

And, please try to put it all in perspective. There are a lot of people living in real castles and McMansions who, for whatever reason, are no happier than those of us who do not.

So, during this time of thanks giving, it is even more important to be thankful for the good things in our lives, like our homes and those things and folks who fill them. When the headlines get you down and the list of things you don't have seems to grow, consider the ones you do have. You'd be amazed and how long that list is. Happy Thanksgiving!

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home section of the Review-Journal. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.