Well, here we are, all of us. In our homes. Home has always been the safe haven, and now, it's quite literally just that. We can experience this in one of two ways — with resentment, or with gratitude. Gratefulness for shelter, warmth, space, and comfort. And now that we are here, allys with our homes, let's take a moment to appreciate them.

With the extraordinary amount of time we're all spending inside these walls, let's take a good look at them. See those scuffs? Wipe them away. Mr. Clean eraser wipes are magic, but so is a simple damp washcloth. Notice the nail still in place where that picture used to hang? Take it out and place it back in its home, where you keep your nails. Look at the corners, around the beams, where webs and dust like to congregate, and get that Swiffer to full stretch and clean the space anew. If you're a “wouldn't harm a fly” type, don't worry, spiders are resilient and will create a new ‘home' elsewhere (or just in the same spot but at least you get about a week of cleanliness). Now look down. See those baseboards? Have you ever actually really looked at them and the shape they're in? Dusty, dirty, chipped — they have lived. Give them some TLC too. The blossom begins with the root.

So now that you've prepped your walls, what is your future vision of them? A new color? Maybe a bold wallpaper, if you dare? Arranging that hallway of photos that you've been putting off for when you have time? Well, now you have it. Think of it as your own personal gallery space. You can leave it fresh and white, minimalist and clean, or vibrant and expressive, as if it's telling a story. Your story.

You see, to appreciate something means to take care of it. Whether it's your family, pet, favorite pair of sunglasses, or something as fundamentally basic as the walls and the space you live in. It is your canvas, and it sets the stage for the rest of the things you love and which you've chosen to place within those walls. And if those walls could talk, what would they say?