A few years ago we joined Home Exchange. As implied by the name, it is a scheme to swap homes with another family anywhere in the world, to make holidays more affordable and comfortable. We almost had our first swap a couple of years ago, but, you know, Covid...
The angst that comes with leaving your home to strangers is real. It's daunting. What if it isn't what they are expecting, despite the myriad of photos on the web? We don't photograph the cracks or idiosyncrasies, do we. We wait for the light to be good, and take "best scenario" photos with the cushions plumped and slightly too short curtains gathered into a fetching pleat.
Or what about the practicalities? Friends who stayed in our house while we were away earlier this year, diplomatically pointed out that our house is, shall we say, "complicated". For us, it is just home, but for newbies getting the hang of the rain water toilet flushing system (and the pump decided to be glitchy just then) or that our hot water is solar panel heated except when it is too cold (and Eskom was making everyone's life difficult just then), or that our alarm is a little fussy about where on the pad you press the button (etc) can be challenging . We blip over all this stuff because we are used to our own muddles and systems, but for visitors it may require some explaining.
Which is why we are working on a home manual. It includes all the basic information, and the quirks of the home: why our tortoises have to remain in their allocated garden sections; that a neighbouring cat likes jumping on the glass roof of one of the bedrooms (Alarmingly scary if you are not expecting it.) Or how some robins think this is actually their home, and fly in daily to see what's new and happening. Come to think of it , it is quite a long document. (But indexed - order in chaos)
We are keen to go ahead with the house swap plan anyway. We love our home, and hope whoever stays in it will love it too.
All this got me thinking. According to good psychology, houses represent the Self in dreams. And I wonder if the doubts about imperfections and quirkiness that I have about our home are similar to the doubts I have about myself. I don't think I am alone here (or am I?) in thinking that sometimes we think we might disappoint others when they get to know the real deal, and not just the social or choreographed images we share. We all put on our "best scenario" selves in public, but what about the cracks and cobwebs? Or perhaps I am too complicated, and sadly, no user manual can help with that - indexed or not. External (what I look like, what I wear, for example) and internal (am I likeable, do I live my best) insecurities have almost always plagued me. Nothing, and no-one is perfect, and that is something I can celebrate (yes, celebrate!) more and more the older I get.
I have a few houses that crop up in recurring dreams - one on a distant hill, one on a suburban road - the ying and yang of my life. And I still have dreams about projects I want accomplish and places I want to see in this vast world. So house swapping seems like a really good idea. Apparently a lot of home owners share my angst about their homes being suitable - there are lots of FAQ on the topic.
With a bit of spit and polish, this old house will do nicely.
