Most of us have way too many knick knacks, saved cards, baskets and dried flowers, plastic flowers, books, and pictures on the wall. Especially if we've lived in a home for a long time. I've been here 21 years. It is time for a change, or many changes. It really started when my daughter moved her things out, but didn't want an oak cabinet. After she left, I kept thinking about that cabinet, and finally went down into her room and put it in the dining room under a mirror, that didn't really stand out on it's own. I also had a lot of paperwork and books piled up, and was able to conceal them in the cabinet, and then, relieve my hutch of a few too many collections. The cards, I hung up around my computer monitor, and receive joy looking at them instead of them being out of sight, out of mind.
I took some nice things out of the hutch, placed them on top of the cabinet, and it looks beautiful. I had noticed while in my daughter's room, a wicker shelf that I knew would go perfectly on the wall as soon as you come in the front door. It did. Now, what to put on the shelves. I rummaged around the house and found 2 large angels for the bottom shelf, and then I had a collection of about 6 or 7 miniature houses that I simply had placed around the living room coffee table. I had run out of room. I transported them to the top shelf, and now finally, they will be noticed, whether upon entering or exiting the front door, or coming down the stairs, or the middle hallway.
It's amazing what things you already have in your home can do in a different setting. I had a pretty light in my bedroom that really wasn't important where it was, so I put it in the middle of the miniature houses, and there is a warm glow throughout the hall. We put one of those curly cue lightbulbs in it, and lave it on all the time. It's exciting having different things to look at as I pass through the house. Things I hadn't noticed in a long time.
I came across two Chinese figurines that my mom had made for me in ceramics in 1980, with her name and mine engraved into the bottom. They are a piece of her, and now they sit on the cabinet in the dining room instead of in the hutch, for no one to enjoy. I had received a precious moments clock from someone very special to me, and that, too, was in the hutch. It found it's way next to my mother's figurines on the dining room cabinet, and again, everyone can see it. I have a sitting room that also has furniture and more knick knacks. When you have three kids, that'll happen. I rearranged the knick knacks, and as I walk through every day to get to the hall, I see beauty.
A nice layer of furniture polish, and things are lookin' good. Then, out comes the vacuum, and the carpet comes alive. I hadn't paid too much atention to my 3 dream catchers, so I vauumed their feathers, and now know they are dust free. Everywhere along my path, I am enlightened. I am humbled at my good fortune, and appreciative for what I have. Stains in the rug that I had let go, are suddenly getting clened up. I worked hard in this home. I raised three kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, a snake, and a ferret. That wan't as bad as the 2 baths. One tub is insane, 2 is chinese torture.
This is where my spirit is, and where my younger years were taken up and flew by, and where I raised three children to adulthood. There are mountains in the distance outside my front windows and porch, and a lake we share in owning with the neighbors, in our back. There is no better place to live for me. It is peaceful, and aesthetically beautiful, and it is filled with nature. The deer know us on a first name basis. They're in no danger from us, so they walk around like big dogs. Their beauty is undeniable. Unfortunately, the bears do the same, but we just remain careful. This was their territory before houses were built, and they seem to want to keep it.
The sunsets are gorgeous over the mountains, and my partner and I are where we are meant to be. He's been working on the outside, I've been doing what I feel looks nice on the inside, and together, we have a beautiful, warm, and unpretentious home. A home that exudes the love that lives inside. A home that shows the two people who are together, are on the same page. A home that wants to be improved on a little at a time. And for now, a home that is cozy and inviting and comfortable and calming. Try moving your knick knacks around, and let me know if their's a new pop in your step.
Susan Thom is the mother of three children, two sons, 18 and 22, and a daughter 24. Writing calms her, and gives her a place to go by herself! Clears the head and gets it out. She lives in a rural area, with a lake and mountains, and her partner, and has loved writing since she was a child.
She certainly hopes you enjoy her take on life, and her style of communicating that in stories.
She has been on a journey of self discovery for twenty years, and has learned many things about the human mind, and how to maintain some semblance of calm and peace within.
If someone reads one of her stories, and relates to her feelings, and maybe gets a suggestion on how she dealt with them in a positive way, that would be the ultimate gift of her writing.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
tweet this!