Opening your home, welcoming family, friends, and those in need—some of us find this natural, while others see only obstacles. But there are small secrets, simple rules worth knowing.
To host well, you need:
- The agreement of your whole family
- A few spare mattresses and blankets on hand
- Dishes and glasses that don't matter if they break
- Freedom from fear of mess
- A genuine curiosity about people
- The willingness to give someone else a key to your house
- The ability to ask for help instead of trying to do everything yourself
- The capacity to keep living your ordinary life
- Clear basic rules for your guests about how the house and family life work—for example (in my own home):
- explaining that the refrigerator door sticks and needs a little push, or it stays slightly open;
- letting them know the bathroom needs to be free by 7 a.m. for those going to work;
- showing them where everyday things belong so they don't spend time searching, and so on.
- Finding joy in living alongside new people or strangers—small inconveniences and all.
- Nicole Schultes, 1999