Are you a steady consistent person, or someone who goes all in for one thing and lets other things slide while doing that one thing excellently?
I am both.
What I mean is that I really aim for being consistent and cultivating a good, healthy rhythm. I try to be measured and slow and thoughtful in how I approach life. But then an idea takes over and if I don’t think about it, I forget I was doing anything else. This one thing in this one moment is what I now need to do.
Then I come out of that and think, “Tired. Now I’m tired.” Sometimes it yields a good result, and other times I regret that exuberance – I can allow it to draw me to something that in reality is not a high priority for me, or at least not next to many other things.
Is one better than the other?
Can’t say. I see benefits in each. The first, because I believe it creates a safe place, allows for hard work and deep rest, and involves self-discipline. The second, because really cool things can result from you pouring all your energy into something.
This all comes out of my desire to make our home homey. What I really want – let’s get real – is to have all the perfect things for our home right now and have them in there and get rid of the annoying stuff and it’s all beautiful.
But then, what about the home MAKING process? Oh and what about our money? Hah.
It can’t all be finished today. But there are some days when you can blitz and sing a new song through the beauty of your home, and this week I took a couple of evenings to put in that time. I wanted to share some of it with you! (By the way, showing you this, friend, makes me anxious. Vulnerability has many faces.)
Probably my favourite mantle theme yet. Feather stickers on the wall from Target, wood-looking candles from World Market. Tiny bottles, old painting, old suitcase – inherited.
Our coffee table got a little taste of colour from fabric used at our wedding reception, accented by a print of a painting done by my aunt! And a rock I found on a backpacking trip in Mendocino National Park.
On the hearth of our non-functioning fireplace, some more flowers and a lone candlestick. Guitars always make for good decor.
Shiny!
Bathroom needs a little love and character too. That ceramic leaf is from a Montana artisan!
Dressing up kitchen shelves. Weck canning jars from World Market.
Basically, I bought so so many flowers. Then I found shiny things and rustic things and made a happy family all over our apartment.
My hope in sharing this with you is to give you courage to do what you are meant to do, and to share it regardless of how incredibly imperfect it is. Here’s another example: I’m slightly terrified of holding my words out to you. What if you can’t stand them? What if they’re wrong?
Things will never be truly complete, and that’s just not the nature of the life God has for us anyway, in this current world. But for now I’m pretty happy with our comfy autumnal nest. I always find things to improve; that’s the curse and blessing of being a developer. Living with one might be difficult? Sorry, hubs.
Home, the physical, does matter. We are beings that touch and feel, and we see. We get to cultivate beauty all around us! I’m learning that this privilege shouldn’t be a source of stress, but one of joy and ease. We go as we are led, and we each create in our own way.
I’m hoping to grow in my rhythm-ability, so that I create with discipline and depth. But sometimes, y’all, the muses take control.
And yes, after all this, I am tired. Some things don’t change. 🙂