what two quarantines taught me about *home*
our twin daughters were born at 30 weeks – roughly 2½ months early. after two months in the NICU, we finally brought them home with strict orders: quarantine. no visitors, no at home celebrations, no help. their immune systems weren’t ready for the world yet.
if you’ve never had a preemie, this might sound extreme. but if you’ve lived through the NICU, you understand. you don’t want to have made it this far only to come this far.
so there I was, in a house we’d bought two years earlier, suddenly feeling the walls closing in. I went for early morning runs, made quick trips for errands when my husband was home, but mostly I was just… there. home. all the time.
I needed to find ways to entertain myself.
that’s when I discovered Barefoot Contessa and started learning how to cook. alongside that, I was becoming hyper-aware of my surroundings. I started picking up magazines at the grocery store – but instead of the normal In Style or Lucky reach, I grabbed House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Country Living and eventually Domino. I was searching for ways to make our space feel better, because it was the thing within reach, the thing that felt most accessible and agreeable to change.
I didn’t know shui then, but I was slowly moving furniture, having chandeliers hung, getting to know plants at our local nursery, and commissioning local artists. not all at once either – this was over 2+ years. and here’s the thing: there was no Instagram to post pictures to. there was no option of having people over. this was truly about making our home feel better for us.
and it did change our lives…in so many BIG ways.
fast forward to 2020…
the second quarantine is the one we all know. everyone suddenly home and cautiously mindful of their immune systems. wherever you sat on that isn’t the point – the point is there was this collective huddling in our homes.
that year remains my busiest ever in terms of writing articles, podcast interviews, Instagram Lives. it was totally palms up, palms out for me. why? because just like me in 2003, people suddenly found themselves at home, and their surroundings didn’t make them feel relaxed. their spaces weren’t primed for the pause, the lengthy stay inside, and this unknown forecast of being here a while. I had more than a few ideas of how to work with their surroundings, so I said YES to almost every invitation that came my way.
and similarly to me, instincts around the world kicked in. people started making sourdough. they bought plants. they adopted pets until shelters were empty for the first time ever. every single one of these things was bringing in living, collaborative energy.
people were applying shui without even knowing it.
I believe that is because shui is in our DNA. as someone who’s been inside so many homes, I can tell you confidently: people get so much more right than they do wrong.
and if they’ve held out on themselves, it’s because they can’t justify the spend – of energy, time or money – so they wait for permission or proof.
however.
when people start making the connections – understanding the ‘why’ behind what they’re already feeling? it becomes an accelerant. there’s a willingness to make things happen quickly because suddenly the math works.
a student told me this week: “I can actually feel the air in my house feel thicker (in the best way)… like it has vitality. It’s like the walls are hugging me.”
that’s what happens when you stop treating your home like décor only and learn how to be mindful, intentional, and energetically deliberate with your choices.
why now?
the world feels uncertain in ways we haven’t experienced before. there is a constant hum of instability that makes it hard to find solid ground.
which means home matters more than ever.
not as an escape, but rather…
it is the one place where you have agency and control when so much feels out of your hands.
if there was ever a time to get intentional about your space, it’s now.
how do you know if shui is for you?
if you’re genuinely interested in your space as a collaborative partner…
if you’re always tinkering with your home and you just get a sense when things feel right or when something needs to change…
if you derive contentment from your surroundings, whether because you’re a homebody or you LOVE creating space where everyone can come together…
if you’re already in conversation and practice with your house because something about that is soothing or brings peace of mind…
The Simple Shui Course is truly for you.
when you enroll, you get both immediate and lifetime access – to all the materials AND to me, the person behind it all. you won’t find that anywhere else, so I mean it with my full-chest when I say this isn’t *just another course*.
but the bigger win? you’re learning in a sustainable way how to work with space – not just your current home. this wisdom travels with you. from apartment to first home to forever home to kids’ rooms to dorm rooms… anywhere you need it. xo
