Bloom Where You Are Planted

My friends, Lisa and Brian Lee, have a decorative rock outside their home entrance that says "Bloom where you are planted". In the 12 years following my departure from the parental nest, I have not lived in the same house/apartment for longer than 2 years. Some of this is due to moving around dorms or apartments in college, and some have been from moving around the world-Ohio, Houston, and now London, where, ironically enough, we are on a 2-year assignment. I have come to the conclusion that the rock on Lisa and Brian's doorstep rings true in so many areas.

So many times in life, we put things off because we are waiting for something to happen...graduation, first paycheck, when we get our new house, when we finally settle and plant roots, etc. I am glad I decided long ago to "bloom where I am planted". If not, these last 12 years would have been spent waiting-waiting to move, waiting to settle. It would have been a very temporary way of living that wound up spanning many years. And I would have missed out on some very special experiences that have created some of my best memories.

Deep thoughts aside, this also means making the space in which you live feel like it is your true home even though you know you won't be there for very long. This can mean different things to different people. To me it means having an organized kitchen, a tranquil living space, and a peaceful bedroom. We made quite an adjustment moving from a sprawling 3-bedroom house in Houston to a 2 bedroom flat in London. We went from having a closet we couldn't fill to having no closets at all. Thus, all of our clothes are neatly folded and stacked in various cabinets, including our old TV armoir which now holds all of my clothes stacked according to season and color. We do have two small wardrobes for things that just can't be folded, like coats, jackets, and dresses. These 3 items pretty much took up all of our hanging space, so we purchased a clothes rack for Edgar's work clothes (which of course must always be starched and ironed). The only place to put this open clothes rack was right next to my side of the bed. I don't know about the rest of you, but I do not want the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before falling asleep to be empty coat hangers and the mass of shirts that need pressing (I HATE ironing!). At first I was blaming my insomnia on jet lag, but now that it has persisted for over a week, I think it must be that I feel like I am living in a closet and the chore I hate the most is constantly staring me in the face. So I have decided to take the rock's advice and "bloom".

First and foremost, I gave up the ironing to a nice little dry cleaners down the road. Do I feel guilty for paying someone to do something I could easily do? No, no, and no. I feel better already!

Second, I decided to pretty up our bedroom. Charlie and I headed to IKEA today for all sorts of fun stuff. I bought a new dresser that I hope will help to shift enough things around that we can actually fit Edgar's work clothes in a wardrobe and get rid of that awful clothes rack. I also bought a beautiful, serene painting, and an orchid. I don't know why, but orchids just make me feel good. Just a single stem in a nice vase.

I still have a few more little projects in mind, but I think this is a good start. After 4 hours of home decor mania, my brain couldn't take anymore. I will head back for round 2 after the dresser is assembled, clothes rearranged, and I can see what I have done.

I encourage you to bloom where you are planted. Whether you are there for the long haul or are waiting to be transplanted, don't live life waiting for that ultimate destination. You might find when you get there that you missed out on alot of beautiful scenery along the way. ~V