As I sat and pondered what I’d write about for my first "deliberate life" blog, I realized I was sitting on it:  The red couch in our front living room.

There’s nothing super special about the couch itself. Sure, it’s comfortable. I also love that it’s in a little-used area of our home, which was built back in the 1980s when formal living rooms were a “thing.”

But what I love the most about the couch is what it represents: It’s my sacred space....