“There’s no place like home.” L. Frank Baum’s famous line from The Wizard of Oz took on a whole new meaning for me.When I first returned from the hospital, I dreaded the daily climb from the kitchen downstairs to my master bedroom on the second floor. Seeing my anxiety, my family stepped up with an incredible surprise.
They completely cleared the downstairs family room of the large couch, computer equipment, pet rat housing, and other knickknacks. In their place, they set up my bed, a bamboo wall divider, and my large stand-alone screen featuring seven white cranes flocking in a river of green reeds. To top it off, they moved down my two nightstands and my vintage five-drawer dresser chest. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and a massive relief.
Why does the word “Home” bring such a warm feeling to our hearts? If you had spent nine days flat on your back in a hospital like I did, the answer would be obvious. Perhaps Pierce Brown’s quote fits best here: “Home isn’t where you’re from, it’s where you find light when all grows dark.”
There was, however, a fly in the ointment. While there was a bathroom downstairs, it only contained a toilet, cabinet, and faucet—no shower. None of us wanted a reality where I had to get by on sponge baths forever.
The solution was clear: remodel the bathroom to maximize the space, relocate the toilet, and squeeze in a brand-new shower. My son interviewed five contractors who left proposals for us to examine. I ultimately decided on Elegant Kitchen & Bath. Though they were the second-highest bidder, the quality of their presentation stood out.
Now that I had all my daily necessities downstairs—my bedroom in the former family room, a beautiful bathroom shower down the hall, and direct entry to the kitchen next door—my perspective changed. With my son and granddaughters promising to drive me to all my doctor appointments and pick up our takeout orders, it occurred to me that I really didn’t need to keep my Tesla Model 3 or pay its expensive auto insurance premium anymore.
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