Transformation Is Messy: In Decorating, In Life
Springtime is on hold here in Minnesota, which is probably good, since I’m in the middle of transformation…which is messy business!
Whenever Cheryl and I were changing seasons over at the store, there was a terrible mess; bins and boxes everywhere. Pinecones and Christmas greens were boxed up and birds, nests and eggs came out. It’s no different at my house when I’m switching over seasons…just less square feet, thankfully.
If anyone dared to step into my back hall, their eyes would be popping out of their heads…and they would never believe I blog about prettiness and decorating!
The reality is, transformation is messy! In order to make pretty and move forward, boxes need to be taken out and unpacked, cupboard doors need to be opened…and left open for awhile, and bits and pieces end up falling all over the floor.
Piles are made in every corner, glassware needs to be wiped off, many trips need to be taken upstairs and downstairs to take out, put away…it’s a heck of a lot of work! And all the while, the “regular” jobs of life get ignored like the dishes and the laundry (I’ll spare you the pics;)
Things of beauty take a lot of messy work.
And many people don’t have the patience for the re-building, for the transformation. That’s when great items end up on the curb: chairs that need a little gluing and clamping, lamps that need to be re-wired, furniture that needs a paint job and some fresh hardware. I take advantage of the impatience on spring clean-up days {Here}, which are right around the corner.
Life is the same way. When those season changes come rolling around, things can get tough: career changes, having babies, kids leaving, parents needing, moving to a different house or a new state. It’s so hard to be patient in our mouse-click, 2 hours to love, and 1 hour fixer-upper-kind of world. There’s just so much work to be done.
And if you give up now, when the seasons change again (which is inevitable), you’ll be right back where you left off.
It’s hard to see the hope of spring on days like today, when winter is all around, isn’t it?
When I’m feeling frustrated and impatient for the new season to be here, I fill my ears with uplifting music and light a candle.
I tell myself to ignore the dirty dishes…I’ll get to them eventually. For now, focus on the task at hand. Make one area pretty at a time and bask in any areas I’ve made progress.
Because decorating, like life, takes time, energy, focus. If I do the hard work, I will be satisfied with the beautiful result.
So get out your springtime supplies! Do the work of transformation! Easter is in a month! And there’s nothing like true resurrection to bring us hope!
Getting ready for a Vintage Market is messy!! My fireplace mantel has “spring” but OH MY….the rest of the house, not so much! Finishing up projects, putting price tags on, putting in totes by door AND it snows!! Mudville again!! To the trailer next weekend, snow/muddy mess should dry up by then, right? I love your bird prints hung by magnets….makes me think about some flower prints….hmmmm. Thanks for providing inspiration!
Hugs from Iowa,
Michelle
Oh, Michelle, I feel your pain! Been there many times; once had a whole driveway of freshly painted milk painted furniture & it started raining-arghh! Hang in there! Your customers will be thrilled with the results:) Good Luck!
Thanks, Glady! I always loved playing with all your pretty dishes & linens!
Looks familiar, my house is in transition mode too. I had the very same thought the other day, if someone walked in right now they would be rather overwhelmed. To you and I, this is nothing, we did it every month at the store. Now it’s just on a smaller scale. I love making our home fresh again.
KInd of nice to only have to do it for our own houses, isn’t it, Cheryl? So much less square feet…! And no scary, flooded basement?.