As we were scrolling through Facebook the other day, we came across this Asian Paints digital video that brought some pretty intense childhood memories flooding back. The thing about nostalgia is that it gets you right in the feels, especially when you’re not expecting it. And for people who live far from home and family, it just adds another layer of emotions. This video touched our hearts for the simple reason that in this Instagram-ready world, we’ve become so concerned with having everything in a house look picture-perfect that we tend to forget what’s really important – making it a home. A home like the one you grew up in, filled with happy memories. Of building pillow forts, using the walls as your personal canvas and running around playing chor-police till someone breaks something! So, let us ask you, what we asked ourselves in that moment…is your house just a house, or is it home? Do you even realise what the difference is? It’s this:

1. You can draw on the walls of a home

Think about your childhood home and try and tell us that your parents never marked your height through the years on the wall with a pen. Or that you and your siblings didn’t try to draw on the walls. Everyone’s tried to do it. And although we might have gotten into trouble over it, a few marks here and there just became another story to tell.

2. You can drill walls and put up pictures in a home

Remember when you came home with some ‘art’ you did in class that, let’s be honest, wasn’t really art at all? And your parents put it up on the fridge or framed it and put it up on the wall? Yeah, why don’t we do that anymore? Coz it might chip the fresh coat of paint that is supposed to look untouched? Come on!

3. You can make a mess in a home

What made your childhood house a home was that you weren’t afraid to make a mess. Duh, you had to clean up after yourself, but stains were not capital punishment-worthy. It was understood that any messes could be cleaned up. And that was that.

4. You can play in a home

You’ve definitely seen the ‘You break it, you buy it’ signs all around stores and showrooms discouraging people from touching things and playing around in their space. And this is the precise difference between a home and a showroom. A home is meant to be comfortable enough to allow play, even if it might sometimes lead to breakage and disruption.

5. You can be comfortable in a home

Obviously everyone wants their home to look pretty, but not at the cost of comfort. You should be able to put your feet up, rock a rocking chair and not feel like you need to be uncomfortably prim and proper.

So, there you have it! This is why we really felt the Asian Paints digital video in a big way because it reminded us that our houses should be #HomesNotShowrooms, and as a takeaway, that’s as good as it can get!

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This post is in partnership with Asian Paints.