We make choices every day.
Bad things usually happen because someone has exerted their free will on another or a situation and they have made a bad choice.
Being honest and admitting our mistakes, humbles us. We are only humans on a learning curve.
Today is our youngest’s 20th. No more teenagers and twenty on the twentieth! Hip Hip Hooray!
When your children grow and leave, there’s an empty swell in your heart that nothing else can fill. You can try to get a dog, make a geographic move, take up golf, get new friends/hobbies or shop until you drop – but nothing fills that space again, quite like it again.
At least, that’s my experience.
Happy Birthday to our little sunshine.
This is what it looked like yesterday up at the treehouse. One of the most harrowing rides down the hill. Fog truly limits your visibility and makes you slow way down.
Misperceptions, judgments and fears also hamper our vision and inhibits our growth. Like a low mist that clouds our discernment, “brain” fog restricts our sight.
I know some people refer to it as Shabby Chic or Coastal Glam or whatever but I am going to call this style, Cottage Charm. Lots of whites, cream, grey, pastels and a touch of black and sparkle of course. The texture is rustic yet smooth, the feel is generosity, lightness of being and joy!
Gratitude inspires me. I am happiest when I see all my blessings which allows me to see all my possibilities. I realize there is a gift or valuable lesson I can squirm out of every unpleasant moment or ….decorating challenge.
Since gratitude is a form of grace, I become more motivated, disciplined and emotionally charged from it. So it is a great place for me to be in; an attitude of gratitude.
I am encouraged and even energized with much stimuli to choose from and much to do around here. The biggest money output are the floors and also the point of departure for our new style. Hence the interminable back and forth.
At last, after doing much soul searching, I am driven by my heart and first gut choice. It isn’t the most practical or conventional, but it is the new authentic selves as new empty nesters. Old colors, old ideas, old hardware, lighting and floors have to go. Not all of it has to go. And some of it just needs to get a facelift in order to bring it into this decade. But the floor was the foundation, literally and figuratively.
I really bucked this idea. I thought I wanted what I saw in new model homes and some clever magazines. Yet, as the sleepless nights passed and inner processes of questions, releases and innovations inspired my scattered dreams, I had to admit what I was attracted to seemed silly and frivolous at my age, but perhaps that is exactly why I found it so divine. The look is ethereal, easy and laid back.
We are lighter now. We are softer than ever towards each other and we are comfortable, cozy and like two love cats. Cream for dinner?
I am eliminating dated views, unearthing who we are and envisioning the space we want to live in now. I am listening to my heart, going with the flow and taking all the help and encouragement anyone wants to give me. I am continuously researching, rifling through DIY and Home Design internet sites and blogs, understanding my priorities, dislikes and new style.
After getting a few more maintenance items installed and repaired, more items donated, boxed or trashed, we will proceed with the matter of the structural grounding energy, aka, the floors and then we can move along to paint, lighting and hardware. Ending with a classical oomph of rugs, window coverings, furniture and accessories, our task should take around one year, to do it right and do it economically.
Tomorrow: Inspiration photos that helped me clarify and narrow down our new outlook.
Vivid sunflowers, two-toned Leonidas roses and feathery solidago in a rustic yet elegant bouquet. Enjoying them up in the treehouse retreat. It is cloudy, rainy and chilly. The fire in the hearth is gently warming. The Zen music is filling the cabin with tranquility.
Have a wonderful weekend.
A while back I heard a quote that I believe was attributed to Eisenhower, “Never underestimate the power of keeping your mouth shut.”
I believe how you say something is just as important as WHAT you say.
When you are committed to self growth and being of service to others, your words or silence is reliable as well.
Roses lovingly sent to me by the love of my life.
I am responsible for how others treat me because even when it is uncomfortable, I am able to say, “No.” and “Yes” when I deserve something. I used to be a peacemaker and just created anxiety and chaos for myself and others. The new me TRIES to ask herself, “Is this my business?” 99% of the time, it isn’t.
When we act confidently, we can support others without doing whatever it is, for them.
Photo taken in Berkeley, CA
Tonight is the Democratic debates between potential nominees for president. It is always an attraction to watch politics in full swing.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Republican debates from the comfort of my couch, texting my son back and forth with opinions and observations.
A good politician is a great communicator and must earn our respect and trust. Many people with fixed ideas cannot think outside the box but I believe with Trump, the conversation has blown wide open. Good. It’s about time. An example of how you can pluck a positive and gain insight out of every situation.
A great politician is appropriate and relates honestly and efficiently. They can allow the past to influence and instruct the present moment but also have acquired new skills and solutions that clarify everything for everyone.
An exceptional politician untangles misunderstandings, resolves potential disagreements quickly, assumes nothing and sees every encounter as an opportunity to behave with integrity, intelligence, logic and heart.
After de-cluttering about 1/16th of my house, and approximately 1/4 of our horizontal surfaces, I got some wild and crazy DIY energy and learned how to cut, lay tile and grout it at Home Depot. I also have been very busy making my own chalk paint and I am painting, sanding and buffing with wax just about everything in sight. I am glad I have my old “Lucy” self back again!
