Not your home

My mother's advice on how to behave when at another person's home.

After school, I went to my friends home. He was excited that I was coming to his home. I too was excited. He was super hospitable. He said, "Make yourself at home". He showed his home. We had food. Listen to music. Laughed greatly. It was a beautiful day!

Once I came back home, I was sharing my beautiful day with Amma.  I shared that my friend had said to treat his home like my own home. I shared how he made me feel like it was my home. And I said, it was really like my home.

There Amma stopped me. She said, it is his duty to make you completely at home and it is my duty to remember that it is not my home. As long as I behave knowing that it is not my home, everything will be alright going forward.

In later years, I have forgotten to remember the advice, that it is not my home and it has had disastrous results. Now a days I am very very careful. Always to remember that it is not my home.