There’s something odd about the Modern California Ranch home. It’s not the mid-century styling or all the glass or how many abuses it has suffered at the hands of those who don’t understand it and never will.
No, what’s truly odd about the California Ranch is its’ understatement, its’ humility, and its’ ability to suggest to us that what’s really important in this life is not what others see from the curb, but rather what’s really happening on the inside.
More of us should be designed like the Ranch. With all its informality and lack of pretense it was designed as a place for people to live authentic lives and be their authentic selves. And whether or not we like its look, or whether or not we have the courage to live our own lives that honestly, I think secretly we all wish we could.
In the age of social media where it’s often more important to post the right image of our experience instead of simply, quietly, without affirmation or fanfare, being fully present for the experience … where most homes seem to want to shout, “Hey, look how important my owner is!” … wouldn’t it be amazing to actually, really, honestly, attempt to build an inner castle instead of an outer one.
Tina and I have tried to do that, both as individuals and as a couple. That inner castle, as St.Teresa of Avila once called it, that’s the real project. It’s our life, our relationships, not our house, that is the real remodeling that never ends.
And as for our little ranch style cottage, Tina and I tried to imbue it with a story, first for us, and then for you, so that when you walk through the front door hopefully you hear it whisper, “Welcome home.”
And if it shouts anything to anyone hopefully that message is not, “Hey, look how important I am,” but rather “Hey, look how important you are!”
It’s like one of my favorite thoughts from Maya Angelou, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Just imagine what you could do if the structure of your life was designed, with great intention, around the simple understated idea that it’s what’s going on inside that counts.
I suspect it would be revolutionary. I suspect it would enable you and enable you, in ways you can’t even imagine, to build yourself a beautiful life.
Thanks for listening everyone. It is, as always, a privilege. I’ll see you on Handel tomorrow morning. Have a great week.