I escaped last weekend. I rented an Airbnb at the shore, way too cold for beachy activities, but cheap and quiet. While in my hideaway, I stumbled on important marital/partner/significant other/ information – I finally understood the ingredients that create a perfect couple.
Let me introduce the well-suited pair - Airbnb and HomeGoods. They are non-gendered, perhaps temporary, ageless, maybe polyamorous, and certainly non-judgmental – a well-matched couple and totally likeable!!!
Here is how they met and fell in love…… Our Airbnb condo chose to go rental (I support personal choice). Just like anyone ‘in the marketplace’, the condo headed directly to HomeGoods (the speed dating of home furnishings) to see who/what was out there. Excellent choice! HG has everything; not the snooty ‘you should have this’, but the egalitarian ‘you probably want this’ or ‘this could be the cornerstone of your happiness’ stuff.
Anyway, as soon as ABNB was introduced to HG, ABNB felt welcomed, loved, felt like it could become its best self. Now, you wonder, what is this condo’s best self? That’s the journey. The condo will find the answer at HG in safe surroundings. HomeGoods supports personal exploration, but with boundaries and without excess.
In this instance, after an hour or so of introspection, a lot of browsing, examining seasonal must-haves, and safe experimentation, the condo decides that its true identity is cheerful, a bit spiritual, friendly, and comfortable. HG is right there with validation, starting with the doormat that says Wipe Your Paws.
HG offers a neutral couch, very comfy with easy to clean cushions (just in case), gray sheets, white towels – this is for general appeal. AND, here is where it gets to best self, a faux fur throw and a pillow that reads Tough Times Don’t Last, but Tough People Do.
What about additional knick-knacks, or tchotchkes that scream best self? No worry, HomeGoods is the mother lode of best self tchotchkes. You choose – a candle that smells like the Atlantic Ocean? a bar cart (or does that encourage debauchery?); a globe to imply worldliness?; a matched bathroom set; and of course, the obligatory plastic cactus or fern. Before moving along, the ABNB condo selects a snow globe with a seahorse inside and two woven storage baskets for… for stuff.
Next, ABNB must select wall art to speak for the condo, but not offend renters. Here at HomeGoods, we can choose from Collect Beautiful Moments or, my personal fav, Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing – a bit spiritual and good for a condo in case the renters steal your stuff. The condo decided to go beachy with blue/green watercolor paintings, definitely more best self than abstract brown blobs. On the way out, the condo passed on the tabletop water feature and the Budda in bathing shorts.
HomeGoods reminds you that You Are Beautiful, even when you aren’t sure. HG and ABNB are meant to be together - like mac and cheese, like politics and narcissism, like parenting and anxiety. What more could you ask for?
Beautiful pups!!!