Ding dong. [That's the door bell]
[I walk to the door and there you are, smiling expectantly and waiting for my invitation to come in.]
"Hello," I say pleasantly, "it's good to see you, welcome and come on in."
[A hug for the ladies and a hand shake or fist bump for the men happens as you walk through and just like that you're in my house.]
The reality of it isn't so simple though. I never answer my door unless I know someone is coming over, I don't even look who it is - I just don't care.
It's more like this...
Ding dong. [That's the door bell]
[I remain wherever I am in the house, focused on whatever I'm doing and think, would you fuck off you cunt!]
My house is more than that, just a house; it's my home, and I protect it fiercely.
I mean, I protect it physically and emotionally, the way it feels to me and my girlfriend and the fact that it's our special place away from the world. I'm also a very private person so it's rare I'd invite someone to my home unless I knew them very well first.
That's just how I am. Private.
I don't blast my personal business, or anything else for that matter, onto social media, I don't speak about my personal life with (many) friends and if I do it's filtered so as not to give away everything, or anything at all - information is power and I'd rather retain it. Besides, no one needs to know intimate details about my life, thoughts, finances, work-status, where I go or what I do.
It's private.
Having said that, I do invite people to my home and enjoy their company.
I'm a good host too: Accommodating, welcoming, generous and solicitous of their needs.
I do that as much for them as for myself myself. You see, because I'm so private, it's somewhat of an event when someone comes into my home and if I permit it I'd like to know they go away feeling they were well looked after, welcomed and catered for; I also have manners and courtesy and want to maintain that ethos.
But...I still don't divulge all my personal details to those few (really good) friends I allow into my home.
Why do people feel the need?
I do not know.
What I know for sure, is that maintaining privacy, filtering what gets out into the world, being selective with who I have around me and what access those people have or where I go and when, is something I feel is very important; far too much about people makes it out from behind closed doors and I don't think there's anything to gain. Besides, no one really cares most of the time anyway, they just want to gossip or to feel like your life isn't as good as theirs.
Most people are assholes.
Our homes are one of the only places we can truly call our own and that's sacred in my opinion.
Naturally, for those who rent their homes from others, there's exceptions and intrusions like landlord inspections, but typically we set up our homes the way we like them with a view to creating a space in which we feel safe and comfortable. That's how I do it anyway.
I know people may look at my home and not like what I've done with it but I like it, my girlfriend likes it and...well, that's all that matters just like how your place feels to you is all that matters.
What aspects of your house/apartment makes you feel at home, what elements have you added to make it feel "yours", do you mind people coming into it or are you selective like me and what about your level of general privacy? If you have comments please leave them and if not then...umm, don't I guess.