You don't have to understand German to understand the message in this video clip: being alone at home. I have just discovered that I like it. My life is very simple. I read a lot of books. I watch a lot of movies. And I make myself lots of cups of tea, and fry the occasional egg on toast.
All this simplicity feels like the most extravagant kind of luxury. Forget the polished brochures of five-star resorts or the glamorous snapshots of infinity pools. For me, true indulgence lies in the deep peace found within the walls of my own home. I find sanctuary in the stillness of my own home, which is so much more than just its physical space.
It's the smell of freshly brewed coffee drifting through a quiet morning. It’s the reassuring sound of the door clicking shut behind me, sealing me off from the chaos outside. It’s the softness of my favourite armchair, the sound of music that brings back memories, the book I’ve read five times already and may read another five times more. It’s the growing stack of unread books beside my bed, each one holding a promise of escape and new knowledge. And it's the pure, unmatched comfort of slipping under the warm doona at the end of another uneventful day.
Staying home isn't a turning away from life, it's a return to it. It's not loneliness, but intentional solitude. It’s not about doing less — it's about being more. In these quiet moments, when I look around and find I have everything I need, I realise I am finally at home, not just in these four walls, but within myself. And that, perhaps, is the greatest freedom of all. Yes, Wilhelm Busch was right, "Wer einsam ist, der hat es gut!"
