Winds of Change

The last three days have felt like a retreat. I've gone for walks on all three days without a coat. I've opened up the house and let all the fresh air in. My kids have gone from runs around the neighborhood where lawns are starting to sport yellow dandelions. In Pennsylvania? In January? Global warming? I wish it weren't so. But am I going to miss out on such a day? Nope. There is something so invigorating about such days in the middle of winter. I felt like I was trying to swallow the sunshine whole like it was a multi-vitamin to get me through the rest of of the dark, cold days of winter to come. And, too, I got that charge you sometimes get around spring where you want to clean everything and make it pure. My husband and I have been making our bed every morning. We are not make-the-bed kind of people.

And then, my friend came over. She hadn't been to my house before, but we've been reading the Not-So-Big House and Not-So-Big Life books together. She had also recently read an article by a woman who on a dare has been trying to move, throw away, or give away 27 items in her home for 9 days. This helps change the energy of a house and helps us each to question what are the things in our life that we really value. So, with these readings as a guide, and with the gusts of sweet January air pouring through the open window, my friend started to rearrange my living room. I've had my sofa in the same position for 12 years. I'd never thought of putting it anywhere else. She moved pictures and plants. (Okay--I only have one house plant, but she recommended I get a few more. Ones I can't kill.) I have to say that her new arrangement is very pleasing. I like the way the flow in my house has changed already. It still needs a little work. New pillows, a side chair, a narrow entry table, new picture hooks, and perhaps a reworking of the bookshelves. But it isn't the kind of thing that should take too much in the way of time or money. It is doable. Projects for the cold, dark indoor days to come.