The Living Room

Have you ever wonder why we it’s named “the living room?”

The name came from the French, who decided it should be called that since the activities that happen in the room were lively. 

But what is a lively activity? One with many people, I suppose. A social gathering. How is this living in a different sense that when we’re alone, or mourning?

Perhaps it’s the conversation, the exchange of stories, that constitute the idea of living. That each one of us, separately, can’t really live without interaction.

These days, my living room is used for conversations mostly with my child. But I long for the day that we can open it up again to the world.