I love my house.
The kitchen is both my most and least favorite part of the house. I cook all our meals (we rarely eat out) I do sensory play activities with the kids in our kitchen. The kitchen table is occasionally cluttered with the books and computer paraphernalia we use to develop financial literacy and run our business.
I hate the tile and the awkward renovation that appears to have been done in the 90's. The original cabinetry was left behind (with good reason because its quality, sturdy, construction). They added black marble counter tops. The mixed aesthetic of the 60's, 80's and 90's grinds on me. But I still love it because it's my kitchen.
I type this blog post seated on an uncomfortable black pleather couch that is cracked and peeling. Its ugly. But I love it because it's my couch.
I love my house because it's my house. Its a privilege that I know that I am fortunate to have. Before we moved into our house we lived out of a 26 foot long camping trailer. Compared to living in a trailer, over 1400 square feet still feels like a palace.
We lived in couple places across the country and know first hand what it is like to have a lack of affordable housing. In those days we could only pray for any home that we could make into a home -to build our life around and to provide shelter and stability. It's a privilege that is eroding as a possibility for many as our economy and climate changes.
I've recently started participating in a woman owned business accelerator. The women I interact with are brilliant and creative and have fascinating businesses. When asked to participate in discussion I'm prompted to answer such questions as "who do you serve?", "what do you do better than your competition?" and "how do you meet a market need?"
I experience paralysis trying to answer these questions. Each time I answered, "I don't know, we're just a handyman business".
A friend/ colleague responded to me by saying "But you're not just a handyman business, you don't realize the value of having a nice, reliable, guy who fixes something in your home, who makes it better."
When my friend said this. I thought about how much I love my home. Even with its ugly but reliable and sturdy features. I thought about the wide range of clientele that we have -with diverse ethnicity and income levels, hard working people who take care of their homes.
I was suddenly humbled to realize the magnitude of the service that we provide. To take care of someone's home really is a privilege, and it's one that we will try not to take for granted.
