We're home.


There is so much to learn. So much work to do. I wake up and tell myself I should water the plants before work, because I have a yard now, with hanging flowers and raspberry bushes and leaves climbing up the lattice next to the patio. I go to my new job at my new office and learn names, programs, routines that are completely unfamiliar. I come home and unpack boxes, look for sales on furniture, have conversations with Murdo that start off with "We should ..." followed by a task like "paint the walls gray" or "string twinkle lights in the backyard" or "buy a runner for the entryway." 

 


I've been thinking a lot about work lately, and the amount of work that goes into anything in order to make the final product something to be proud of. A clean, comfortable home requires the know-how and tools for constant upkeep; a stunning photograph comes from years of practice, trial and error, learning how to properly compose and expose a shot; a meal worth writing home about often involves careful ingredient selection, chopping, peeling, boiling, sauteeing. 

 
 

Nothing of value is simply conjured from thin air. Those images posted on Pinterest of perfect homes, perfect weddings, perfect plates of food -- they work just fine for inspiration's sake, but they don't tell the story of the work that took place behind the scenes in order to make the dream a reality.



It's one thing to look at an image and sigh and wish that you had that life. It's something else entirely to tackle a project, get messy and sweaty and frustrated and determined, to complete it with your own two hands and look at the finished product and sigh and know that your hard work paid off. 

We're not there yet. We won't be for a while. But I'm ready to learn. 

Comments

  1. I love this post. Such a wonderful articulation of it all...we are still struggling to put in the work to make our new place feel like those inspirational photos :)

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    1. Thanks, Kim! Yeah, I feel like when it comes to making a home, the work is never done. But I'm OK with that.

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  2. I am loving every little look into your changing life. The flower pots! The pillows on your sofa! The picture framed on the kitchen counter! And Jacqui. You have a backyard! This is such an exciting time with all its newness and I am so happy and hopeful for you guys. The thoughts you articulated in this post are so good, too. It's true that the perfection we see everywhere---Pinterest, magazines, TV, blogs---is always the product of hard work. I remember the first time I realized a symphony didn't just happen but that all these different people had to work super hard to play their individual instruments and then come together, and honestly, it depressed me. I liked thinking the magic just happened. But there's another kind of beauty in watching the process, in seeing how things unfold, step by step, a beauty I am still learning. I like hearing about it here.

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    1. There's certainly a new appreciation that is born once you learn how much work goes into something. Take my parents' garden, for example -- the more flowers they plant and the more beautiful it becomes every year, the more in awe I am not just of the garden, but of the care and nurturing and passion that my parents put into it.

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    2. I just came back here to read this and remember what you were feeling when you were where we are about to be, probably, maybe, and man it is nice to read. I'm glad there are blogs with thoughts like them out there. I'm glad there is yours.

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  3. Look at your home! Look at that light! Look at that light in your home! JACQUI! I hope you'll show us more and more.

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  4. Looks good so far. I can't wait to see everything in real life :)

    Hint hint: The best time to water your plants is at night. This gives your plants plenty of time to drink the water before the sun dries everything out.

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    1. Me too! My dad told me the best time is to water in the morning. I'm so confused now.

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  5. wow. that first photo is extremely compelling. looks like an abstract painting!!!

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