So, we find this box in the closet we are cleaning out. Sealed. Unlabeled.
What is in it??
Who knows!
SO...should we open it up and go through all of the STUFF that's in there??
I SAY YES!!!!
What do YOU say?? (Don't roll your eyes at me!)
Hope this week's video helps you to tackle these "clumps of clutter" we all have in our houses, and inspires you to just jump in and get started, one small step at a time. :)
Have you heard the Danish word HYGGE yet? I have been fascinated with this cozy, warm phenomenon from Denmark for the past year or so & am so excited to share a little bit about it with you today.
I hope that it inspires you to hygge up your house and share the warmth it brings with those you love!
Because my house is so old (its original foundation dates back to 1778),
one of the most frequent things visitors say when they first see our house is:
"Your house is over 200 years old?! You've gotta have some ghosts, right? Is your house haunted??"
Well sure, I love to tell the stories of the weird things we have seen and heard around our old farmhouse over the years. Ooooh! Like the night we arrived home to find the garage door fitfully going up and down and up and down all on its own, the overhead light flickering in the darkness! (Never mind that I was unknowingly sitting on the remote)...
There are also all the creepy legends we heard from the neighborhood kids when we first moved in--like bright orbs floating in from the woods outback in the dead of night and menacingly hovering right outside the kitchen door! (If you come over for one of our bonfires, those stories are a must!)...
However, one of my favorite ones is The Tale of the Day That We First Toured the House (insert evil laugh here).
Once Upon a Time, back in 1996, a young, innocent (ha!) couple came across the listing for an old house that had been on the market a few months--a fixer upper a little down on her luck.
Nestled amongst a development built in the early 1980's, it was an unexpected find. And after they came across it, they drove past it frequently--mysteriously drawn to its seductive charms buried under gross siding painted three different colors.
It seems they were powerless to resist...so they ventured inside (well, with their realtor, on a scheduled showing. But still...details, details).
It was dark inside. The bathrooms and kitchens were from a bygone era. Two of the three bedrooms were mysteriously cold (well, mostly because they didn't have any heat yet, but nevertheless....).
After they had cautiously walked through the rooms and examined every inch of the old structure, the most unexpected thing happened:
(haunting organ music swells)
They found themselves sitting in the living room, completely relaxed, visiting, talking, dreaming of their future there, and feeling as if they were already at home.
That's right. My favorite ghost story about our home is about its true "spirit:" --we instantly felt so welcomed and at ease inside of these old plaster walls, that we decided to make an offer on the place...and the rest is history. :)
I love to share this story because it shows how important it is to pay attention to your gut--our instincts are rarely wrong when it comes to finding our way home.
Happy Halloween, dear friends! May your spirits be high and your home be welcoming! 🎃
Once Upon A Time there was a little girl named Goldilocks...
Do you remember her?
What you remember about the story may be different that what I remember. Despite the adorable cottage in the woods, the three bears, the exceedingly hot porridge, I always reflect on the small, medium and large furniture (ooh, what choices!) and the darling little girl that had the hutzpah to seek and find the one that was just right.
Oh, we can learn so much from Goldilocks! (I mean, once you get past the whole breaking and entering thing...)
So what does it mean when something is "just right?"
Well, to me just right = soulful, or soul-filled--and living in a house that feels like this is a gift that brings beauty, balance, and joy to us every single day.
However, it is a much more common thing that we settle for living in a house that is far from 'just-right.' This is not our fault, we just don't know how to create anything different--no one has ever shown us the simple steps that help us round that corner from drab and frustrating to soulful and satisfying.
And trust me, it has nothing to do with buying all new furniture. (After all, Goldilocks used what she had right there on hand!)
Sometimes it is easier to see what something IS by learning what it isn't. SO, let's talk about the opposite of soul-filled or just right--here's a few adjectives:
So, remember--be like Goldilocks. Have the hutzpah to claim your just-right soul space. It will add so much to your life and just feel like home.
If you are wanting to learn some simple steps to creating a soul-filled space of your own, I am offering a FREE class this coming Tuesday, OCT 24th. Check out all the details here! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
This Tuesday, I was so fortunate to be able to attend the Pennsylvania Conference for Women (wow--what a great day we had! Here is a picture of Jo Ann, Annette and me on the train into the city that morning... :) )
One of the sessions that inspired me the most at the conference was called "Why Simple Wins" given by Lisa Bodell, business woman and author of a book by the same name.
Her talk focused on how as a culture we wear "Busy" as a badge, without really stopping to think about what it costs us.We unconsciously make our lives complex (because it really seems it has to be this way, right?) and as a result, simple doesn't stand a chance.
I wanted to remind you (AND ME) this week that it doesn't always have to be about the doing.
Sometimes it should just be about the BE-ing.
This is a challenge when our lives are SO BUSY--including the life in our homes where there are always dishes to be washed, laundry to be done, floors to be swept, and papers to be sorted.
Always.
And when you are all done with that (ha ha) there are a few windows that are rotting, a gutter that is clogged, and a roof that needs to be replaced.
With all this busyness, will we will ever be able to sit down, rest and enjoy?
Or will we just fall over in exhaustion?
So, if you are waiting for your check list to be done, your hamper to be empty, or your Better Homes and Gardens photo shoot to be scheduled so you can really sit and savor your home...
Please don't.
Embrace simplicity and just follow the lead of your dog or cat, if you happen to share your home with one....
Be relaxed, be curious....
You know, just BE.
The reason we own our homes (other than the fact we need to be warm and dry, of course) is to hopefully derive some pleasure and enjoyment out of them.
So, how do we get to the place where we can just be?
How can we be sure we are taking time aside from our busyness to be still and enjoy?
I believe it comes from the acceptance of imperfection-- imperfection that will be there whether or not we rail against it, whether or not we acknowledge it, whether or not we work our fingers to the bone, whether or not we ever sit still.
Being able to sit down, sit still, and JUST BE comes from a place of comfort with the idea that everything cannot be perfected, accomplished, experienced, cleaned, organized, nor mastered, and that does not diminish who we are or the beauty of where we live.
Alright, I have to close now because I have SO much to do this afternoon. (just kidding, just kidding...)
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