This is such a lovely and evocative story about your home and what it represents, Kerala! Nicely done. I do think physical proximity makes a big difference--it helps cement your bond.

Yet I happily enjoy having my own bedroom again now that our renovation is done. We had 4 humans and 1 large 80 pound dog in one bedroom for several months of our renovation when we lost the HVAC system and only had one room with heat and AC. We're back in our own bedrooms now but we almost always all crowd into one room together after dinner to chat, watch TV, or just work on our respective devices. It's something I thought might cease as my daughters became teens so I'm glad they're not hiding in their bedrooms all the time!