As children, we enjoy a carefree childhood and have no idea that having a place to live is an important part of life. We don\’t routinely run out of the house, slam the door, and worry that we might inadvertently break something. Dad will fix it again. Even if we didn\’t like it as teenagers, we consider home to be a place we want to return to. Eventually, as we grow older, we pay more attention and the word home takes on a different meaning. But we still automatically accept everything. The house is always warm, there is always hot water. The refrigerator is always full, again without our help, and with our help, the refrigerator is slowly but surely emptied at the same rate that our stomachs are filled.
When we leave home for boarding school, college, or boarding house, we suddenly begin to realize that nothing is free. We may be alive, but the luxuries that our mothers gave us at home are not offered to us as adults. Even the contents of the refrigerator don\’t fill themselves. Unfortunately. Yet we don\’t need money to live. When we are students, our parents pay for our temporary housing.
But when we finally graduate and fall in love, lo and behold, we start looking for a place to live. Moms and dads return to their parents\’ homes. Some parents welcome them with open arms, others with gritted teeth, but housing is taken care of again.
Those who are brave enough embark on building a home with their beloved, or at least renting a sublet together. We always want to be together and can even deny ourselves a dreamy vacation by the sea. Even the presents under the Christmas tree are modest as we save up for the first floor of our brick house. In the evenings, we plan for the future together. If we endure the grueling years of building, taking out loans, and paying the mortgage, we will one day be able to move into our dream home.