How Firm A Foundation

Having a safe, welcoming, and comforting place to go at the end of one's day out in the wild, demanding, tiring and sometimes dangerous world is something that people have always needed throughout human history.

In that safe haven, we are strengthened and restored so that we have the energy to go back out into the larger world and share our gifts.

While most of us no longer cross the threshold to go hunt for our supper in the vast woods, or till the fields for our family's food, it is still just as important today to be able to return home at the end of a day to a place that restores us--to close the door behind you, and know you will be welcomed by a space that is comfortable and comforting, beautiful and simple. It is a foundation upon which so many important and positive things in our lives can be built.

Zen Space

During a recent conversation with a friend about the frustrations of house upkeep, she shared with my husband and I a practice that she has employed to help keep her sane during the busy days of the week, when the house can get away from the best of us.

There is one place in her home (I believe she said hers was her night table) that, through thick and thin, come hell or high water, is always a lesson in simplicity. It is clear of dust and clutter, with just a few of her very favorite pictures and beloved items carefully arranged on it. While the rest of the household may be falling into disarray with the family's comings and goings, she knows she can go sit on her bed, take a few breaths, look at her Zen Space, and find a little peace amid the cacophony of clutter and chaos.

As she finished explaining this to us, I realized that my husband was unusually quiet.  I looked over at him to see his mouth agape, his eyes wide & glassy. He blinked a few times, slowly turned his gaze to meet mine, and whispered with enthusiasm:

"Wow. I am so getting a Zen Space."

That night when we returned home, the minute we walked in the door, he declared to me, the kids, the dog, the cat, the fish, and the dust mites in the corners that the dining room table was now HIS. He was staking his claim, his right, his due. The dining room is a Zen Space--do not dare put anything on it.

My husband is a truly wonderful person, one who likes order.

One who likes things to be where they should be.

One who is still wondering what the hell happened after the crazy entreprenuer wife, two kids, the dog, the cat, the fish, dust mites and furballs entered stage right.

If you can keep a secret, this is what his Zen Space looked like this morning...after I went shopping for a few clients.

Can we just keep this between us?

This whole "zen space" thingee is one I really like, and that is why I am sharing it with you.  We do work together to make sure that that space is not dumped upon.  Being greeted by a clean table when I arrive home is a peaceful and pleasant thing.

SO, the next time you come to my house and you have a load of stuff in your arms you need to drop somewhere, follow the lead of my children and walk past that blissfully neat and pristine dining room table surface, beckoning to you just inside the entry, and continue on into the next room: my office.

Yep. You can go ahead and dump it in there.

first photograph compliments of mudmom.com

Do you IKEA?

Yes, it really has become a verb in our family. Where else is a hungry family who is reorganizing many areas of their house go for a hotter-than-Hades afternoon? It has a restaurant with decent and resonable food, AIR CONDITIONING, places to wander and play, and lots of rooms to look at for ideas....

It even has space to conduct important business phone calls and brainstorm about your next corporate take over!

It was a fun day and we came home with some shelves and plants for my son's new room, two new hampers for the kids, and many ideas of what we will do with the attic space now that we have moved Mr. Tall Eleven-Year-Old outta there.  Oooh, there was even cinnamon rolls for dessert!

Now, FOCUS!

Oftentimes, when great progress is being made on a project, a level of fevered excitement can waft in and settle around your head like a thick mist... just as you were really hitting your stride. Things are looking great! Change is visible! Wow, I see what we have  been working so hard to achieve! I get it now! This intoxication can override one's better judgement. The most recognizable signs and symptoms that this bug has infected you is finding yourself in a completely different area of the house from where you were working, arms flailing as you enthusiastically describe the improvements that are needed in here...in fact, let's just open this drawer and dump it! TONS of stuff in here to get rid of!! Oh, and push that chair to the other side! I have always wanted a better view out that window!!

STOP.   You are engaging in activity that is equivalent to chasing one's tail.

My dog, Hermione,  doesn't even have a tail, and she would recognize this pattern in a heartbeat!

You know why I am writing this this morning? Because I need TO READ IT BACK TO MYSELF!!!

AHHH, summer is here. My work schedule is lighter, and I am enjoying time with my kids. What a great opportunity to work on some things around the house. Boy, there is a BUNCH of things I could accomplish! Oh, the possibilities of what I could do today!!

I have been making great progress (more on that later), but have to keep reminding myself of the thing I always tell my clients: focus on one thing at a time and see it through 'til it is done!!!

I will stay the course, and will have pictures to share very soon.

Good dog, Hermione!

A Different Kind of Design (at least for me)

During the past year I was asked to help redesign the look of Penn Medicine at Radnor's Radiology office. What a great challenge and opportunity!

The goal for the newly outfitted Women's Imaging suite of waiting areas was to create a soothing and feminine environment for the clients that come to have their annual mammogram or other studies.

I wish I had more "befores", since these were actually taken just after the painter had come and put on the new coat of the colors we had selected.

With the careful selection of new furniture, custom framed prints, new lighting and live plants, the spaces are now more soothing & comfortable.

An annual mammogram can be an anxiety-producing event. The redesigned environments hopefully make this a less stressful time for women and their families.

Here is the additional waiting area now completed :

The Main Registration Area was another area that received the RR treatment. Here are the "before's":

Again, sadly these pictures don't document all of the things that were changed/improved in the space. I snapped these after the painter had visited, and also after moving the existing furniture around to have a more welcoming layout. The previous arrangement of chairs had each group lined up along the walls like soldiers, with no breaks between chairs and everything following the exact line of the walls.

With a little creativity, a more intimate and appealing sitting area was created. New furniture, lighting and accessories again totally transform the space.

I am very proud of the changes and improvements made in these spaces. It feels good to know that the work I do can help a medical facility take better care of their patients, and create an environment that can be of comfort to those visiting.

Don't forget, that should be the case in your home, too! My hope is that your home is a place that you find to be beautiful and soothing also. How does your home nurture you?