It's hard to not be house envious sometimes. We're in the closing stage of buying our first house and I read these home decor blogs that make me feel very "lesser than". I just remind myself: I don't want to live in a Pottery Barn catalog. I want my home to reflect me: unique, dorky me. And your home has to reflect you. Those perfect houses in the magazine are overly staged so you want to go out and buy everything but we both know we don't need it! :) Give me dog hair over silk sheets any day!
Great post, Pam. I think we all feel like that sometimes. But you're absolutely right, "real", which includes dog fur, Tums, piles of laundry, and kissy OMP's trumps staged, hollow and devoid of life & love, every single day of the week.
...but a vacation at one of those places would be nice!
Thank you, Pam. This is a wonderful post and a great reminder of what really matters.
After a few days stuck in our tiny house, I too have yearned for more space, cleaner space, better space. But who am I kidding? Even if we had all those things, the dogs would destroy the perfection in 10 min or less. And I wouldn't have it any other way :).
I often remind myself that there's an important difference between "just right" and "perfect" and that perfect is both relative and so impossible for mere humans to achieve. Sometimes I wish that the use of the words "perfect" and "perfection" were a lot less common.
January 20, 2012 at 7:14 AM
Tonight I was taking my usual hot relaxing bath and reading one of many house magazines. As I was reading and trying to relax, the images in the magazine made me long for a perfect winter home. I began to wish that my life was as perfect as the picture was.
I sunk lower in the bathtub and began to wish for a candlelit claw foot bathtub. Music playing around me. Instead, I had a dog barking at me, waking me from my fantasy, I looked over to see Jujube demanding dinner and Pete whining behind her.
After my bath, I continued to read the magazine and looked at the wonderful food being served on the finest china. Instead, I had a store bought chicken and rice-a-roni.
I was determined to finish the magazine and decided to head upstairs to lay in bed and read. Of course, the bed in the magazine was made with fresh winter white linens, perfectly folded and fluffed. I looked at my bed,which probably hadn't been made since I moved in and what did resemble the little bit of order was destroyed in seconds by three little dogs digging around to find their spots.
OMP climbed in to bed beside me, I secretly wished that he would recite the poem from the back of the magazine I just finished. "Your eyes are like waves in the ocean..." I'm pretty sure no love poem started with, "Can you hand me the Tums?"
As I sat there, with my eyes closed, OMP reached over and kissed me, "Are you okay?" he asked. I thought back to the entire magazine, with its photoshopped pictures, its perfect dinner, beautiful furniture and luscious winter settings and looked at my bed, with its sheets from Target, laundry piled up in the chair that has yet to be put away and the three dogs who have managed to take over my entire life. I let out a sigh and began to respond but was quickly cut off by Lola burping in a way that should be outlawed in twenty states and in no way could come from a dog of her size or stature.
I thought to my self for a moment. Then I settled in relaxing and thinking "I've never been happier in my entire life."
I'm sure I could have all those things I saw in the magazine but would life be real for me? Would it make me laugh? Cry? Scream at the top of my lungs? I don't think so. My life is far from perfect, but it is my life and it makes me happy. All the dirty piles of clothes, the rice-a-roni dinners, and lack of bed space make up the happiness in my life. Reality is wonderful. It keeps me humble and allows me to see and appreciate the little things in life. A kiss, a small puppy warming my toes, and Target flannel sheets-all the best things in my life. Allow your reality to make you happy too.
8 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formIt's hard to not be house envious sometimes. We're in the closing stage of buying our first house and I read these home decor blogs that make me feel very "lesser than". I just remind myself: I don't want to live in a Pottery Barn catalog. I want my home to reflect me: unique, dorky me. And your home has to reflect you. Those perfect houses in the magazine are overly staged so you want to go out and buy everything but we both know we don't need it! :) Give me dog hair over silk sheets any day!
January 18, 2012 at 9:11 PM
see, you are a unicorn.
January 18, 2012 at 11:44 PM
You're blessed with many gifts, Pam. This post was so beautiful, and I can totally relate.
January 19, 2012 at 5:56 AM
Isn't life wonderful! Dirty dishes in the sink, unfolded laundry, dog hair, and love, that is all you really need to have the perfect home!
January 19, 2012 at 7:04 AM
Great post, Pam. I think we all feel like that sometimes. But you're absolutely right, "real", which includes dog fur, Tums, piles of laundry, and kissy OMP's trumps staged, hollow and devoid of life & love, every single day of the week.
...but a vacation at one of those places would be nice!
oxoxoxo,
L
January 19, 2012 at 9:18 AM
Beautifully written my dear SisterFriend!
January 19, 2012 at 11:17 AM
Thank you, Pam. This is a wonderful post and a great reminder of what really matters.
After a few days stuck in our tiny house, I too have yearned for more space, cleaner space, better space. But who am I kidding? Even if we had all those things, the dogs would destroy the perfection in 10 min or less. And I wouldn't have it any other way :).
January 19, 2012 at 12:51 PM
I often remind myself that there's an important difference between "just right" and "perfect" and that perfect is both relative and so impossible for mere humans to achieve. Sometimes I wish that the use of the words "perfect" and "perfection" were a lot less common.
January 20, 2012 at 7:14 AM