Apartmenttherapy.com is a go to favorite for me and my bestie. Not only does it provide thousands of interior decorating inspirational photographs–but, before you know it, hours have gone by as you’ve gone down a rabbit hole of master makeover stories. It’s an incredibly good use of anyone’s time.
Urban minimalism? CHECK
Desert chic? CHECK
Millennial pink-inspired? CHECK
Restored farmhouse french country style? CHECK
The list goes on and on — you’ll learn that you can redo any room in your space in one fell swoop to match whatever inspiration has hit you this month.
I love doing this. I love bringing a creative vision into life and making it my own. It’s like painting a room in 3D. But, lately there’s been a frenetic tone to my need to redecorate.
Our lives are by and large out of our control. We have all heard it before: you can’t control the situation but you can control how you react to it.
Well, guys, I seem to be reacting to it by being a frenzied organizer of everything in my postage-stamped sized apartment.
Spend an afternoon trying to redecorate your half bath by moving five (5!) framed pictures and folding all of your towels in a new way? Yup, I’m your girl. Or, spend another afternoon disassembling current makeup / hair accessories and totally redoing shadows, lipsticks, eyeliners, skincare, etc.–yep, I’m your girl for that too. It’s no secret that I like organization. But, upon some anxiety-riddled reflection, I’ve realized it’s not about that and it’s actually about this:
I am able to have an idea/creative vision/goal and in an afternoon turn that into reality. It’s one of the few areas of our lives that you can get instant gratification. Think about it:
- relationships
- weight/diet
- career
- financial security
- self-actualization
- friendships
ALL LONG-TERM. All require diligence, commitment, a willingness to accept that they might not turn out the way we want them to. In my little world of half bathroom(s) decorating marathons–I can make a dream come true in an afternoon.
So, how does one build patience for the dreams that shift and change and morph much more often than once a month?
How does one create the headspace for trust in the universe’s picture painting? That this masterpiece of life does take time, and re-configuring, and most certainly won’t happen in an afternoon?
Maybe if Apartment Therapy started offering therapy sessions in tandem with redecorating tips–we’d all have super fly spaces AND feel centered.
Or maybe, it’s just as simple as acknowledging and understanding why we do the things we do. It might just be that baby step in the right direction of creating that headspace of acceptance.
Climbing The Mountain of Mindfulness 