The Sixty-Four Cent Question

As I sit here, blocked yet another month on a topic for this column, it occurred to me that maybe it’s because I don’t know what domestic bliss really is. I mean, I know what domestic bliss is to me, but my concept wouldn’t apply to everyone. That makes it difficult to write a column that resonates with a variety of images.

To test this theory, I polled several members of my family. Here’s what they had to say.

Robert: I’d have to live by a beach, have a minimum of five cats, Nintendo, a large, well-made bed, and someone to deliver groceries. If I had kids, at least two would have to be twins. Twins are cool! (Robert is only 11–he’ll learn!) Last, but not least, the fastest computer possible.

Mike: Bed, book, and my girlfriend.

Jennifer: All the dogs in the world that I’ve ever dreamed of. Junk food. A pool filled with ice cream. All the furniture is edible–all foods that I like. I would have a gazillion stickers and a million things to draw. All my favorite movies, a telephone, a radio, and a huge stereo system.

Jim: A big double-seat recliner with a cooler/fridge built in between the seats. The kitty is perched on top, purring. My wife is one seat, I’m in the other. We sip wine and play Scrabble while we watch our favorite movie. The kids are all out, so we have the whole house to ourselves...

Well, even within our family we can’t get a consensus on the subject. How can I hope to publish a column that–while it stems from my experiences and biases–will be helpful to others?

Maybe it’s time to discuss just what we mean by domestic bliss for the purposes of this column. Can we agree on some basic criteria? For instance, my husband and children described domestic bliss in terms of nouns, I tend to use adjectives. Organized. Peaceful. Simple.

My research–in books and on the Web–proved fruitless. Search after search for the term “domestic bliss” yielded no matches. When I tried “happiness” I found some quotes and ideas that were close, but almost only counts in horseshoes. What other explanation is there than domestic bliss can’t be defined?

The smartest thing I can do now is ask you, the readers, to help. Tell me your definitions of domestic bliss, and suggest topics you’d like to see my cover in future columns. In Fraser Crane’s signature words, “I’m listening.”

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