THE LIVING ROOM

- January 09, 2025

Some call it sitting room, palour or other names.

Many poor live in houses without such : one room for the family, shared with others two room self-contained, etc. Unfortunately, many kids from poor homes never had the experience of a family living room, all they knew was a room or two for the family; sleep anywhere you can (most often on the floor), wake early to quickly use the one or two restroom and bathroom that they and other tenants share (some go to the bush or bathe outside in makeshift bathrooms under the open sky), leave the room for one another when privacy is needed, etc and generally survive in such an uncomfortable accommodation.

The idea of the living room was splendid. The architects or whoever conceived the concept had a good purpose. The living room is meant to be a mini recreation place for the family. You go out each day to hustle and work, pass through various forms of stress and then return home. The home should relieve you of stress. If the home is not relieving you of stress and make you feel happy, cozy, warm, refreshed, etc, it is not a home. When family reunite in the day, they all converge at the living room.

At the living room they bond, they talk, they play, they laugh, some eat at the dining table or in the living room (though not advisable because of crumbs that fall). To make the living room what it was designed for, it must be as comfortable as possible and contain things that would aid it to serve the purpose it was meant to serve. The living room should have strong and sturdy settees with comfortable cushion like cover all over the living room. It should be able to survive several people sitting on it at once, children jumping on it, family rolling laughing and dancing, couple playing, friends and family company, etc. The living room should have all the recreation facilities a family can afford: television, video and audio players, different kind of electronic and non electronic games, wall decorations and fittings, flowers, some interior art works and decors (just visit supermarkets for interiors) just to enhance beauty, telephone, etc. It must be well ventilated and must have fans or air-conditioners if it can be afforded. It should have a restroom nearby that family and guests can quickly dash into and dash out so as not to miss the ongoing fun in the living room. It should have constant power supply as self sufficient as possible. The floor is quite important. Whether carpets, tiles or linoleum, it must always be clean. The cleanliness of the living room cannot be overemphasised; no bad odour, no children poopoo or pee (babies should have diapers on when there). Some families have two living rooms; one for the family and the other for guests and special events. The choice is yours.

The idea of the living room is rest and fun. A place you can stay for hours and forget time.

I do go out once in a while to some simple restaurants and eateries to relax. I see people sit, relax and have fun. Good food, drinks, games for kids, TV and music, cozy and beautiful setting, etc. Some spend hours in such places often and spend huge amount of money. Some go to hotels with all manner of recreation and social facilities just to relax and unwind. Some literally live in the hotel while others spend weekends there. I often say to myself, why not use a part of all the millions you spend in such places to recreate such in your home. A mini recreation room in your house or backyard will be fun. Simply copy what you go for outside in your compound. Put the lights, the sound, the games, the food, the drinks, etc, there. You wanna relax, invite friends and family over and have fun. Do not misunderstand me, going out to unwind is also good, provided you do it within the armbit of decency, but do not make it the normal and forget your home. The home should be the most comfortable abode for you and your family. Going out for fun, that many have made a daily routine and always return home late at night just to rush out again early morning, should not be the norm. It kills family and enstrange couples. A breeding ground for infidelity and delinquent kids. Some have the money to fix all these at home, yet go outside in search of it. They spend days and millions in hotels and public places with such. Some eventually get carried away and forget their homes. Go out once in a while to unwind in decent places, take your family out too, but ensure your home is the most comfortable place for you and where you and your family will always want to come back to.