House Therapy

I once had a patient tell me  "you have been through a major tragedy, multiple tragedies. I can feel it. Not just death because death happens in every person's life. No, this is something different. You have a pretty smile and a happy heart, but there is a sadness in your eyes. Am I right?" and to him I answered "Every person has tragedy in their life. I think that's what made Shakespeare famous!"  He laughed but he knew, I knew he was right.

It was not long after one of these life tragedies that I decided to make some major life changes. Once I made the choice to make the changes, things moved very fast. I bought a house, got engaged, got married, ended a business, and decided to have another baby (my youngest is 12).  And this was all in one year, last year 2010! 

Some people think I'm crazy, others think I'm brave, I personally think I just don't have it all figured out yet. One thing I know for sure is I purchased a house that has helped me figure out a little more than I knew before. I call it "house therapy."

The house was built in 1981. It is an 80's house with 80's fixtures and 80's paneling. Pretty awful really. But we have 10 acres for the kids to run around on and a big lake for them to swim and fish in. It is a beautiful property. The house just needs a little TLC. My husband, Michael, and I are renovating this house and in the meantime we are also building a marriage. One a metaphor for the other. Many of the lessons are the same. It takes patience, accuracy, hard work, problem solving, creativity, communication, compromise, vision, the ability to work together, and this all being done with blood, sweat, and tears. So the two are not so different. 

Renovation can be very therapeutic.  You learn things about yourself and sometime you learn nothing at all. Sometimes it's just a routine, time consuming task (like filling nail holes) but it takes your mind off stressful things happening in your life, a stress reliever. The creative process can very rewarding, at least for me it is. I love to take something less than attractive and turn it into something beautiful. I have found that while completing some of the projects, my husband and I have long conversations about a wide variety of topics. We bond over drywall dust and paint fumes.

I will be sharing our journey of "renovation ever after."  Recording our follies and triumphs, inspiration and creativity, pitfalls and pearls of wisdom. This might be fun!