When I was young, like most other kids, I loved to play and mostly play outside. After school when I convinced my mom that I was done with my homework, I would meet my friends or my brothers outside and we would start playing.
During the weekends and the summer, we were sometimes gone all day. Back then we didn’t carry smartphones to receive text or phone calls from our mothers to tell us it was time to come in and we certainly did not wear watches. We knew it was time to come in when either the streetlights came on or our mothers yelled from their front door to get inside because dinner was ready.
We were messy, full of energy and full of life as every kid should be. We liked to play baseball, frisbee, football and tag. If we played out in the street and a vehicle came our way, we all yelled, “CAR!” and everybody scattered and waited for the car to pass. Did you do that?
We rode bikes and took public transportation when bikes couldn’t carry us as far as we wanted to go. It was such a happy era and I am so glad to have lived in that time.
Things are different now. I feel sad that my children and grandchildren won’t grow up in that type of world. But I accept the situation as it is… times are different.
I mentioned before one of the games that we often played was tag. Tag had many variations and many rules depending on which game of tag you were playing.
Oftentimes, in the arena where we were playing (the park, someone’s yard, an empty parking lot or sometimes the street in front of someone’s house), we designated an area that we called “BASE.”
Base was a great place! If you were about to be tagged and you were close to base, you would enter the area and yell out BASE and you were safe from being tagged.
Then you would wait for the kid who was “it” to move on and you would leave base and enter the game again. I loved base. It was a safe place when I needed somewhere to go in case I got in trouble.
Fast forward several decades and I find myself still clinging to base. But my base has changed. My base is deeper than just my city, my neighborhood or even my home. My base is actually in the family room.
My base is our comfy couch.
Our couch faces the TV and has seen a lot of movies, sports games, recorded videos of my family, video games, etc. Our couch has also heard many conversations both fun and serious. Our
couch has taken a lot of abuse from my dog when she was a puppy and now from my grandchildren as they crawl all over it to get to me because they know I’m going to spoil them in some way.
That couch is even more special to me because that is where my wife and I sit every night as we wind down from the day. It is fairly often for one of us to say, “it’s couch time” or “I can’t wait to get on the couch and relax.”
We will sit together and watch TV and often talk through the entire , program. There are times that we don’t even watch TV we just talk.
That couch to me is BASE. I feel safe and secure when I sink myself into all of its comfiness. As I write this now it is late in the afternoon and I am envisioning falling into that couch with my feet up on the coffee table, my wife next to me and watching one of our shows together.
It’s the holiday season so we will be watching one of those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. You know the ones I’m talking about. If you don’t, that’s a blog post for another day.
So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!
Another base I love and is a safe place free from distractions is where I work. I’m talking about my home office. Ohh, I’m always working in my mind and I’m always thinking whether I’m in my office or any place else. But I always come back to my office to get my work done.
Case in point, a few nights ago I got the idea for this blog post while sitting on my couch and reminiscing about old and much simpler times with my wife. I jotted down a few notes in my phone and today I came to my office, my base, to type out a draft of this blog.
My home office is my daughter’s converted bedroom. When she left home to face the world, my wife generously had the idea to turn her room into my home office. I like to joke that it’s the executive suite because it has an adjoining bathroom. And I tease my wife that she is building maintenance.
I love my home office as it is comfortable for me. I’ve decorated it with hand drawings that my grandchildren have given me, sports memorabilia such as autographed baseballs and a football signed by several Hall of Fame players, pictures of my family and friends… you get the idea. I have made this room my own.
I am free from distractions and I am free to work at my own pace in a comfortable place. My home office is really my home base for work. I get so much done during the day and a lot of it is because I am comfortable where I work.
That hasn’t always been the case. I haven’t always been free to be in an area where I feel completely comfortable. In my former 9 to 5 career, I had nice offices that I was able to decorate to a point, but I didn’t get to choose where those offices were. Also, I had to be very careful how I filled them with personal stuff. I had limitations and now I do not.
I can play music loud or it can be very quiet. The choice is mine. It may not seem like such a big deal but when you take into consideration and truly think about where you work and your environment at work, It becomes a big deal.
As I look around my home office space, my work base, I reflect on all that has happened here. In this space I have learned how to run a business. In this space I have posted on my wall the first dollar I ever made in this business. I even put it in my blog post last week.
In this space I have the ability to see my dreams come true when it comes to realizing my goals and aspirations for my home business. Yes, I do love my work base. It suits me and it fits me just fine.
I encourage you to make the best of your environment whether your purpose is work or otherwise. I encourage you to make the place that you get the most done comfortable. Make it a place where you feel safe and secure to get things done. Make it your base.
It’s late in the day and I’m about to log off to go eat dinner., I’m already thinking about the couch. I wonder what Hallmark movie we are going to watch tonight and I wonder what revelations or ideas I will have as I occupy my base.
“Whether it’s a corner or a dedicated room, your home office is your stage to perform your best work.” – Tim Ferriss
“Turn your home office into a space that makes you excited to sit down and get started.” – Barbara Corcoran
“In a home office, boundaries matter—separate work from life, and both will flourish.” – Cal Newport
And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:
Why don’t computers play tag? Because they’re always afraid of getting cached!
Why did the swing break up with the slide? It felt like it was being pushed around!
Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!
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Now that the days grow shorter and shorter, work in the home office is cozier and cozier. I have discovered the simple act of doing my you tube videos at night or early morning. This frees me up to do other tasks our businesses require throughout the day. I don’t know why I didn’t figure this out before, but I wasn’t as busy as 2025 promises to be.
The couch is a great metaphor for comfort and relaxation. In fact, I may move my couch today to make it more accessible for watching movies on TV or simply to read a good book. 📕 or to read blog posts from our group think! Happy blog hopping!!
Hi Kate – I agree about how the time changes makes us change our attitude towards things. It is often cozier when you are in your home office at different times of the day at different times of the year. For example, right now it is very early in the morning where I’m located, the sun’s not quite up yet, the house is very quiet and I can smell my coffee brewing. Very cozy! And, I do love my couch! Have a great week, my friend!
This post gave me all the warm, nostalgic feels! I totally remember yelling “CAR!” during street games—such a classic childhood moment! It’s amazing how “base” has evolved from a safe zone in tag to meaningful places like your couch or home office.
Your description of the couch as your sanctuary is so relatable—I can practically feel the cosiness just reading this. And the way you’ve personalized your home office? That’s next-level inspiration for creating a workspace that actually feels good to be in.
Thanks for the reminder to cherish the little things and create spaces that support our goals and peace of mind. Now I’m off to fluff my own couch cushions and maybe think about how to make my office feel more like “me.”
Hi Sarah – I like to think that I will never grow up in my mind and will always have the heart and soul of a child playing games with his friends and having meaningful conversations. Now that I have grown, those games have changed but they still revolve around relationships. A lot of the time I think it is possible to choose our environment and make it what we want. Like a home office, or a couch in the family room, or wherever. I know that life gets in the way and we can’t always choose our environment, but we can always strive to influence it. I have found that I have many safe places. Of course, I’ve described my couch and my home office. But I also have other safe places such as a Mastermind Group, a coffee shop that is special to me and many more. That’s the beauty. We sometimes get to choose and make our own safe space. I wish you a very productive and wonderful week in all of your safe spaces!
Ernie, Thanks for yet another epic blog post. I do think that “BASE” would have been a good addition to our games of tag when I was younger. But we always lived outside of town with lots of grassy areas to play in with no distractions from busy streets and on-coming cars.
My home base is relatively new within the past couple of years. I’m learning the new rules as time goes on but all for making the best of our environment. But once the place is clean and up to par, I can comfortably settle into my place in front of the computer and the TV as well as being able to wander the neighbourhood where I feel that feeling of safety you mention.
But most of all, I work in comfort with the belief that I’ll soon be able to escape the cold of winter to eventually find myself lounging pool-side in that next tropical climate of my choosing.
So, you too – stay fresh with the ideas and revelations you come up with as you occupy your base.
Hello – Thank you for your visit to my blog post and for your very nice comments. Yes, being comfortable is key and helps me to get the right frame of mind. The challenge is not to be too comfortable in order to avoid getting any work done. It’s all about balance, right? I’m sort of jealous when you say that you’re going looking forward to lounging poolside at the next tropical climate of your choosing. That sounds awesome! Have a great week and hope all is well.
Hi Ernie,
This post brought back so many memories! I loved your reflections on childhood games and how “base” evolved from a safe spot during tag to your home office and couch. It’s such a great reminder of the importance of creating spaces where we feel secure, productive, and connected.
Your home office sounds like a haven for creativity and focus, what a blessing to have a space that truly feels like your own. I couldn’t agree more about making the most of your environment, it really sets the tone for everything you do.
Looking forward to your next post!
Meredith
Hi Meredith! Yes, it is great to reflect on memories of a simpler time when we could play childhood games and pretty much do what we wanted as long it was within reason. Now that I’m a grown-up, I still have that childish mindset, but I need to be more aware of the consequences of my actions, right? 🙂 I agree that having a home office can be a Having for creativity and focus. That is my goal and one day I will look back at this home office and think about all the things that I’ve accomplished. Thanks for your visit, your comments and I wish you a wonderful week!
Hi Ernie,
I loved reading your reflections on the concept of “base” and how it has evolved for you over the years. It’s wonderful to hear how your couch has become such a comforting sanctuary and how your home office serves as your productive haven. The way you describe those memories of childhood play is so nostalgic; it brings back similar fond memories of simpler times!
I completely agree that having a comfortable and inspiring workspace can make a huge difference in our productivity and mindset. Your tips on creating that environment resonate strongly—it’s all about finding what works best for you.
I also enjoyed the dad jokes! They definitely made me smile. Looking forward to your next post and learning more about your journey in affiliate marketing!
Best,
Ezequiel
Hello Ezequiel – Thank you for your visit to my blog post and for your comments. I am finding that I take solace into creating a comfortable environment for myself. As I get older, I start to appreciate more simple things like I did when I was a child. That certainly resonates with my business as I don’t want to make it too complicated, yet I want to be Thorough enough to get things done. And yes, I love telling dad jokes. Anything, it makes me smile as well. Have a great week!
Hi Ernie,
Love your post!!
You took me back to my own childhood and they are so much like yours. It was refreshing recalling some of the adventures and games we played, thanks for that!! I totally relate to having a base where we feel safe. Mine as well is sofa primarily. My wife and I also end each day there watching some sitcoms. I have a home office as well 🙂 that I can go into work mode and be productive. I like your reference to “base” in tag being the safe place and relating it to life now. It helps me to appreciate that sofa and office time more 🙂 Thanks for sharing Ernie, all the best!
Denny
Hi Denny – Yes, being a child was so much fun and I took it for granted… but I didn’t know any better. All I remember was wanting to be grown up so that I could do whatever I wanted. Now that I’m a grown up I miss those times when things were much simpler, and base was truly base if you know what I mean. It’s nice to know that you have somewhere to go to get away from it all like your sofa or home office or something that makes you feel comfortable, right? Thanks for your visit to my blog post, your comments and have a great week!
Another great post Ernie! You always have that clever way of weaving your stories in. I remember riding my bike all Summer in Flagstaff where I grew up. We also would come home when it got dark. Thanks for the memories.
Scott
Hi Scott – Yes, it is fun to reminisce about simpler times and it is amazing how much we learned is applicable to today. Thanks for your visit and for your comments and have a great finish to the week!