A year stuck at home: We asked, you answered
On March 19, 2020, the first stay-at-home orders were issued in California in response to the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. Those orders were followed a few days later by Illinois and New Jersey on the 21st, New York the day after that, and eventually spreading across most of the country.
As we’re sure you’re aware, these orders were put in place to slow the spread of the virus. The less we interacted with other people outside of our bubble, the hope was, the less likely it’d be that we’d get sick. But what also happened was that we were forced to spend much more time in our homes than we ever had before.
A year in a bubble
Well, now it’s March 2021, and to some extent or other, many Americans are still stuck in their homes. While stay-at-home restrictions have been lifted across most the country, many workplaces are still encouraging their employees to work remotely. In addition, many businesses like restaurants, movie theatres and music venues have remained closed or at diminished capacity.
What all of this has led to for vast swaths of our country is a year of rethinking what home means to us.
We were wondering how everyone was handling this prolonged change to our daily lives that has made our homes more important than ever. Would people enjoy spending that time at home, remembering all the reasons they fell in love with it in the first place? Or would they go crazy with all the ways their homes didn’t work for them anymore?
What have we learned about home this year?
So last month, on our Guaranteed Rate Affinity Facebook and LinkedIn pages, we asked you to tell us how your work from home, remote learning, at-home yoga studio life was treating you.
And the responses we received did not disappoint.
Room for improvement
Not surprisingly, some respondents identified things about their house that they were able to live with before, but bugged them more and more the longer they spent in their home:
"Still working on improvements and upgrades. A second toilet would be nice, but we've made it work. Time at home has given us the opportunity to plan what we really want and need as we get ready to design and rearrange space. That is something we would not have been able to do if we had been away from the house so much of the time due to school and work." - Sharon D.
A part of the community
Others not only appreciated their home, but the community they lived in:
"We love it here in Spanish Springs!" - Jay C.
"My wife and I learned that patience pays off. We are happy with the home we purchased—not just for the home itself but for the neighborhood, our street and the community we live in." - John and Maria C.
Making work-from-home work
Some respondents were loving the WFH life (though it should be noted that we didn’t ask those who liked WFH if they had any kids remote learning at the same time).
"I love working from home! The numbers have proven work/life balance and work ethic are still great when we’re home – if not even greater." - Nicole M.
"Home is my office now and, for me, having a good home helps me in my career!" - Anand W.
Gratitude
The most common feeling for home that folks shared with us was just a sense of gratitude and appreciation for everything that our respondents’ homes had meant for them over the last year.
"Our home has become a sanctuary where we feel safe and comfortable. We have enjoyed cooking and making more homemade meals and sharing new recipes with friends and family. Zoom calls with friends while we make cocktails and dinner together (using the same recipes at the same time). No one, except those living under our roof, have entered our home. We have bonded with our 21-year-old daughter and even she admits, it hasn't been all that bad." - David and Becky H.
"I love my home. It was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. And it’s all mine." - Victoria W.
"It’s a great refuge and has just what we need to hunker down inside in this crazy time. We have space for a full-time work-from-home office, and room enough inside and out to keep us sane. And it's comfortable, pretty to look at and, well, just perfect for us." - Tom W.
"My home is my sanctuary. It is filled with books on just about every genre; I have access to the entire world via the internet; email and text messages connect me to loved ones; art pieces reflect my eclectic interests. Everything I have brought into this home, have set up and arranged - it all came into play this past year. I am immeasurably grateful for my "home" - the physical space as well as the sacred space I've created within the walls of this tiny, aging bungalow. " - Eleanor L.
As this year has reminded us, home is so much more than the building we own and live in. And with the safety of home, and the power of belief, we know that we all will get through this.