A Work in Progress.

We're slowly getting settled and it still feels like home.  We were lucky to find a place to call ours that needed little more than our personal touch.  Most of that touch has come in the form of paint.  We chose to change the wall colors and even the oak trim to better suit our tastes.  

This might be the one and only "before and after" shot.   Taking photos of our progress will also be added to "the list!"

I think painting brings with it an unhealthy obsession with perfection.  I am no professional painter, and therefore it seems there is always something to “touch-up;” always something to make better - like many things in our lives!

So, I'll state the obvious and add "the blog" to the ever-growing list of things that could use a "touch-up."

I walked away from this place for a while, and, to be honest, I often do this.  When I’m designing something that just isn’t getting “there,” I walk away.  When Andy and I are at a crossroad, and no strides are being made toward a productive resolution, I walk away.  And, when I’m out for a run and I just can’t keep up the pace, I walk away.  I do this to put space between where I am and where I’m trying to go.

The walk-away technique has something to do with a pursuit of perfection.  If the design project isn’t quite perfect, the discussion not heading toward a perfect solution, and the run not perfectly exhilarating; I walk away.  Lately I have been obsessing over the whole idea of perfection, and my inability to meet my own expectations.
 
Then I read this quote.

 “There is a crack in everything.  That’s how the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen

I tend to be the type of person we all read articles about.  Usually those articles are titled something like; “why you can’t have it all,” or anything equally motivating.  I read them, and then – quickly – ignore their message and continue.

I continue to strive for that picture-perfect existence where I have a fulfilling career, productive conversations with my husband, a clean house with a built-in system that washes {and folds} the laundry, so I have time to listen intently to friends, lend a helping hand to family, and work-out five times a week!

But, I forgot that the cracks tell the story, not the perfection.   The cracks shed light on who we are, and the missed strokes remind us of where we’ve been.  Although I think walking away can be the solution, I know it's not the the only solution.  I think evaluating the crack is what gives us the light.  And, this is what sets us apart.

I think it’s important to spend time with our faults.  To share them.  To develop strength through others, and to learn from our weaknesses.  I think it’s important to have people see you when your juggling act has ceased - when the balls have fallen.

I think that's exactly how the light comes in.