Finding the Salt

By Evan Strauss

Our tradition of finding the salt is quite an interesting story. It all started in our house in Lake Oswego—but it wasn’t supposed to start there.

We were supposed to go to Sacramento to see family, but we thought we might be coming down with the flu, so we stayed back in Oregon. We booked a house in Lake Oswego at the last minute. Being in an Airbnb after moving out of our “home home” a day early made us all feel disoriented.

We settled in, and it was late, so Mom had to cook dinner. She noticed that all the pots, pans, and cooking utensils were gross, and there were no spices. In the last cabinet in the entire kitchen, she found salt and pepper. This brought her so much joy. She realized that the tiniest things can make a big difference—and that gave her the idea.

What if, as a tradition for making the places we stay feel like home—and to remind us to appreciate the small things—we find the salt?

This ritual serves multiple purposes: finding the salt to cook with, familiarizing ourselves with the house, reminding ourselves to appreciate the little things, and adding a bit of fun.

Then we added a scent that reminded us of home. Since your sense of smell can evoke memories, using a familiar scent—orange blossom water—makes a place feel more like home to us.

The last thing we added was an amazing song by Phillip Phillips called “Home.” This song really captures what we’re doing and how we aim to make each place we stay—whether for a night or a month—our home.

By doing this home ritual, we all feel at home immediately. We’ve gotten comfortable with all the imperfections of our new homes while also focusing on the good parts. It’s also helped with homesickness.

And it just shows that the smallest things can make a big impact—even if it’s just some salt.