I randomly caught myself thinking about the Front Room one afternoon. For those of us who have Caribbean grandparents, we all know about the Front Room. For those that don’t, I’ll explain.
Many Caribbean people who had come over in the 60’s, were able to acquire homes that had a front room and a living room. (Let me digress here and note that they had two reception areas - a lot of us are fighting to get onto the property ladder for houses 5 times the price and 3 times as small).
Anyway, the Front Room was the space set aside for visitors and there were no children allowed. Many of the settees in the room were covered in plastic to ensure no damage came to the consecrated furniture and the sanctified room was also filled with ornaments. Maybe it was because of the restrictions imposed on the room, but it was a place my siblings, cousins and I wanted to be. In my Grandad’s front room there was a record player and as we grew older, I remember spending time in there with cousins mixing records!
I caught myself thinking about the Front Room because currently it is overwhelming working all day, then coming home cooking dinner and now I have to clean the house because it feels as if there is mess everywhere. If only I had one allocated room that held no clutter and could be a place to unwind or if anyone comes by I could quickly usher them into that room and shield them from the organised mess. I now appreciate the thought of having a room that would be a restricted space.
Thinking about the Front Room has led me to think on how that reflects in our own lives. A phrase that stuck with me a couple of years ago was both can be true. The Front Room also consists of both. It has both positive and negative aspects. Let’s start with the negative, so we can end with the positive!
Negatives:
The Front Room was like a sanctuary - the Holy Place that could not be entered unless you were righteous or maybe if the room chose you. The rest of the house could look a certain way but what’s presented through the Front Room to the outside world is that we have our house in order. The danger of that is chasing perfection and fulfilling the desire of only sharing our highlights. We shy away from the real because it feels too messy. But life is a beautiful chaos, and we need to embrace all sides of life. Not everybody is going to see all sides of our lives and neither should they however let’s be real about who we are and where we are at and not feel afraid to do so.
Positives:
Remember I mentioned about having an allocated calm space where you can unwind and “Woo-sah”. This space would be it. It also doesn’t have to be a physical space, but would serve as your sanctuary. It can be a time of day where you spend reflecting on what you are grateful for or even an activity that you do to usher in peace into your mind. Perhaps it’s that early morning cup of tea, where you sit in silence, appreciating the warmth and the stillness. Or maybe it’s the evening walk, where you let go of the day’s worries and immerse yourself in the rhythm of your footsteps. Whatever form it takes, this space is where you intentionally cultivate peace, gratitude, and tranquility—a refuge for your mind to exhale and find solace.
What’s your Front Room to you and what needs to be created or broken?
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