A couple of weeks ago, after living in our house with it's white matte walls for seven years, we painted.
It felt good.
So good, in fact, that we painted the kitchen. Then we painted the wall below the bar and one wall of the dining room.
It felt that good.
We painted beat-up, dingy white walls with a soft neutral color that brings a richness to our home. With each press of the roller, we covered up years of dust, dings and holes. We pressed and we rolled and we talked.
Things, life, have been in a bit of a negative spiral here in Mandyland. Don't get me wrong! There are a lot of positive things in our lives. But there's been a slight feeling of unease niggling at the back of our minds. Global causes: a falling housing market means our home is worth less than what we paid; Chad's steady, reliable government job isn't so steady and reliable now; credit card interest rates rising; education funding depleting right as we get ready to send our children to school. And then some smaller causes: the stress of two children; lack of sleep; Chad's shifting work schedules; high fructose corn syrup.
And we couldn't figure out what to do.
For years, we've been on a track. We've planned, we've plotted, we've followed our own particular yellow brick road, but now? We find ourselves standing in the middle of a field, uncertain which way to turn. There's not a road in sight and now we have two children relying on us to make good decisions. Us! A man who can't figure out how to unlock a door and a woman who reads too many romance novels.
As we painted, we talked about what we wanted. While we watched the paint dry, we came up with the beginnings of a new plan, the first few steps on a new path.
Chad's starting school August 31 and will be getting his Masters.
And we're painting the living room.
3 comments:
post pics of your place? love painting - creates a feeling of accomplishment; as well as cleanliness.
are you okay with chad going back to school?
i agree; life is not all that stable for anyone... much less someone with small children.
Wow, that is big news! Where will he be attending?
You have to post pictures of all the painting. Maybe it will inspire me to paint our house. We have the same boring beat up white walls and every night I sit and look at them and think how badly I want them changed.
Chris - I'm excited for Chad to go back to school. We've known for a while that in order for him to advance in his career, he'd need to do so. I'm so glad he's wrapped his head around it finally!
Jen - He's taking classes online. It's the only way he can work, go to school, do homework and still be able to spend some time playing with the kiddos.
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