Smart Home.

I was looking for a notebook so that I could tear out a sheet of paper for an errands list.
Instead I stumbled upon this old red notebook from my college English class.
The pages have started to turn yellow.
The notebook took me back to the raw fresh new days of California.
When I wrote the passages inside the notebook, I had just moved away from Wisconsin to attend the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.
All of the entries inside were written while staring out the window at the downtown Los Angeles skyline.

Here's one of them.

I am going to inform the world today of the perfect smart home.
I am a mix of Martha Stewart, Cynthia Rowley, Yoga Instructor, Rock Star, and myself.
It is time for me to write my own "Living" magazine and let the world know what's up.

I recall watching the Jetsons and fantasizing of owning a bombshell robot like Rosie.
The cartoon made the 80s world imagine flying cars, computers taking over mankind so we would never have to leave home.

The new millennium has presented fast moving technology, forcing us to forget that twenty years ago we thought people might move to space by the year 2000.

In my opinion, the Jetsons had a smart home. One would think the human portrayal of the TV is what brought the "smart" in the home.
I see the Jetsons as a smart home because even in their day and age, they remained a strong family. I cannot see Elroy hiding pot from his broken parents.
Instead, he shares his fears and happiness with his parents.

The only problem with seeing actual technology as "smart" may be that all of this metal and glass makes me feel a little chilly.

The Jetson home could be warmed up by Mrs. Jetson in an apron..the house smelling like fresh
chocolate chip cookies. An actual real mom (instead of a robot) creates the memories of a lifetime.

Scribbles on construction paper from a child's imagination posted on the refrigerator (instead of a computer monitor) open up the home to remind everyone of their child's sweet and promising imagination.

Maybe the Jetsons could use a visit from a Feng Shui master.
Feng Shui teaches us to hide technology behind closed doors while we aren't using it.
This way we are surrounded by complete silence and a chance to breathe, escape from the noise. A chance to concentrate on our mind, heart, body, spirit.

I will not argue the impressive "wow" factor of a glamorously large flat screen television as it tells me my favorite stories in life size color.

I would not reject a friendly and gorgeous robot that could Feng Shui my home for me.

However.. I envision a smart home as so much more than the amazing electronic heroes of our day.

I see a smart home as this: A family sitting down together for dinner, or a mix of roommates learning from each others' cultures. Photos on the wall that tell a story. Playing fetch with the doggy in the back yard while dad grills hamburgers on the deck. Bright colors painted on the walls, not afraid to allow color or warmth into the home. Memories of spaghetti fights in the dining room. Allow authenticity. Then add a splash of technology.

Now that is a smart home.