Lately I’ve been singling out corners of our house and making them beautiful. My husband went on a week-long business trip, and while he was gone I went through every room in the house and first addressed everything that bothered me. I sorted through every pile of mail, cleared away the non-essential kitchen appliances, and finally organized my art supplies. They take up an entire bookshelf, a utility cart, and half a closet, so it was no small task.
Then I set to decorating. We have a huge window by our dining table with a gorgeous view of the mountains. Until recently it was home to a giant cardboard box of oil paints, and the blinds were always drawn, blocking views of mountainous sunsets and flaming red autumn aspens. While addressing that particularly neglected corner of the house, I bought curtains to span across the entire wall, giving the mountainous fall sunsets the frame they deserve.
Though a simple act, decorating your space says a lot. It’s an act of faith, a show of respect for yourself and your visitors, and a manifestation of gratitude for your environment. There are always beautiful things to accentuate and celebrate, no matter how small. Hanging art, displaying flowers, and painting over gray walls has a powerful psychological effect because you’re acting as an agent by changing your environment. Your space changes from a thoughtless collection of clutter to an intentionally cultivated sanctuary. You feel different in a passive versus active environment. Lazy, versus diligent. Passionless, versus inspired.
In the past I’ve put off beautifying my living-space because it’s “not worth it” to decorate a rental. We’re leaving in a few months anyways. It’s too much of a hassle. Once we have something more permanent I’ll put in the effort. But when will that be? And even then, will you renovate with your family’s happiness in mind? Or simply improving the re-sell value?
To avoid ranting, I’ll sum it up by saying I have fully embraced the transience of stuff. Though it’s wonderful to own a home, someday we’ll die and leave them to strangers. Hopefully we’ve made them beautiful while we could.
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