If You Can't Have the Quarantine You Want...

...love the one you're with.

The longer we ride the wave of the stay-cation, the more I have come to love my little home. During the first two weeks of confinement we, as I am sure many others, sanitized the place from top to bottom. A sort of panicked response to both boredom and the realization that neither of us could remember the last time we had mopped. I noticed that I was also out of touch with my dwelling. The shelter in which I spend so much of time, a place that frankly, I haven’t given enough love.

Seriously what was found behind my stove should be considered house abuse.

Our home is one of 14 in our Montreal apartment block. Built in 1948, this style of apartment was built as a necessity after WW2. The Plateau was a very working class neighborhood up until the 1980’s and therefore filled with large rental apartments. Thus we are left with the beautiful bones of well built, and very well laid out apartments. What they lack in character, they make up for in size. One of my favourite parts of our nook is the bathroom. Small by modern standards, the 13½ square feet house: a full size tub, toilet, vanity and the most wonderfully simple tiles. Less was more when designing these spaces and the tile style reflects that.

I’ve put a strong effort into the interior design of our place. There is thought behind the placement of every chair and table. Utility first and foremost but a sense of “Hygge.” Hygge is the delicious Danish philosophy that focuses on wellness and coziness. I didn’t set out on this course, it sort of found me. Person after person would walk into our living room and say, “Well, this is so comfortable.” Frankly I was aiming for “Wow this is so stylish, you have such good taste. Can you plan my wedding?” But I’ll settle for curating cozy. The more I sit in the epitome of comfort the more I count myself lucky. Something I don’t think we do enough these days. I’ve spent a fair amount of time complaining in my life and I think it may be the perfect time to stop. I want to appreciate my surroundings for the simple beauty that they are.

The one caveat is I will never stop complaining about slow walkers or slow drivers in the left lane. That is a nonnegotiable.

In my pursuit of writing a thought provoking piece I hope instead to leave you to reflect. Our situation is not ideal, but it could most certainly be worse.

Stay safe,

Stay hopeful,

Evan