Making Your Jupiter Home a Personal Sanctuary

Influencer: Carri Lager Ph.D.
Photography by Carri Lager Ph.D.

What does the idea of “home” mean to you? For most, it signifies more than a financial asset and carries a great amount of emotional worth. The concept of “home” suggests a sense of belonging, acceptance, safety, comfort, community, and special memories made with family and friends. Feeling “at home” for extended periods of time throughout our lives can lead to positive well-being and contribute to our overall happiness.

Whether you live alone or with family, making your physical space into a home consists of transforming your environment into a personal sanctuary. Here are some ways that we can make homes our own:

• Choose décor that fits your unique personality and style.

• Highlight special memories by hanging photography or art creating nostalgia. • Incorporate plants, natural light, and comfort in spaces to make home cozier.

• Focus on functionality with organization and storage.

• Prioritize creating spaces to enjoy quality time with family and friends.

• Personalize outdoor spaces with beautiful flowers, vegetable/herb gardens, or butterfly terrariums.

• Foster emotional connection at home through gratitude, healthy communication, and creating fun pastimes with friends/families (game night, family walks, weekly cook outs, celebrating special moments at home).

Making a home in lovely Jupiter includes creating traditions with our friends and family that can incorporate the beautiful nature and outdoor recreation that is available to us year-round. Here is a list of my family’s favorite local spots that have made us feel at home here in Jupiter for 16 years: bicycling/kayaking through Riverbend Park, exploring Blowing Rocks Nature Preserve, swimming at Dubois Park, kayaking the Loxahatchee River or boating along the intracoastal waterway, appreciating the gorgeous sunrises/sunsets, fun family dinners at Guanabanas, and enjoying yearly events like the Holiday Boat Parade.

Home can keep us grounded in our roots and contributes to our sense of identity as we move through the beautiful journey of life. Our innate need to feel connected and establish healthy bonds is as essential to our emotional and physical well-being as food and safety, and it starts at home. Creating a home also includes giving our loved ones our full attention, free from distractions. There is a Japanese saying called, ichigo ichie, which means that each encounter is unique and special, and those moments deserve all our attention. That is how we create lasting memories that remind us of home…by experiencing them with intention and purpose.