NO PLACE LIKE HOME

What it’s like when your house suddenly becomes your everything.

- JANELLE ERLICHMAN DIAMOND

FROM MY COUCH in the family room, I can see my kitchen, dining room, the stairs to my basement, a bathroom, and the staircase that heads upstairs.

My whole world.

It wasn’t always this way. Our home was our in-between space. In between school and work. In between sports games and play practice. In between book club and birthday parties. In between weekend outings and weekday commitments. Now it’s our everything. Our home office, our school room, our date night destination, our play space, our computer lab, and summer vacation.

Before this, I was a woman with a plan and a detailed, color-coordinated Google calendar. I needed it to manage four kids, ages 9 to 13, a full-time job, and activities that ranged from Fluid Movement swim practice (mine) to Lego Club (theirs). And then, suddenly, stillness. A calendar that went from jam-packed to blanker than a white wall—seemingly overnight. I’ll admit it was hard for me. It’s like going to bed on Earth and waking up the only inhabitant of a strange planet: “Hellllooooo is anyone else out there?” No? Okay, might as well start decorating.