blog thoughts: on meaning

If you're a keen observer, you may have noticed that I recently tweaked the description of this blog (the one you can find over there at the top of the left hand column).

Somewhere around early February, I settled into a happy new routine in my life, one that struck a balance between time with a rewarding consulting practice and time focused on more visual/creative pursuits, like decorating my living room, tossing together a gorgeous salad for dinner, and posting to this blog.

And then somewhere around mid-April, the balance went away. It was an intentional choice, the setting aside of that other part of me so I could tend to the traditional Spring flood of consulting work. An intentional choice, but probably not a wise one. Things are a little calmer now, but I'm still feeling emotionally hung over from the experience of too much of one thing, and not enough of the other.

For me, the simple pleasures of home life are incredibly renewing. Cracking a speckled brown egg into a handmade bowl. Watering the newly transplanted black-eyed-Susans in my garden. Playing nocturnes on my piano. Lighting a candle to welcome good friends into my living room. These things all clear my mind and feed my spirit.

At some level, I've always known how important these things are. But it became particularly clear during our remodeling project, when our house was a construction site, not a home. The project was much harder on me than I had anticipated (hey, who wouldn't love the excitement of building new rooms, right?), and I think the main reason it was so hard was that it took away for several months many of the things I find most renewing. My life this Spring started to feel a bit like it did mid-construction -- sapped of emotional energy and clarity of thought. And somehow less meaningful too, despite the fact that all that consulting work I was doing was about supporting people who are making a difference in the world -- a fact that normally leaves me feeling moved and grateful.

My recent experiences have left me thinking a little differently about this blog. (And also promising myself in the future to turn away work when I need to.) Yes, it will still be about pretty pictures and great design. I'm inspired and excited by those things. But, from here on out, I also plan to focus a little more intentionally on what makes home so meaningful to me. Look for a few more posts about moments of grace and gratitude, about ritual and renewal, about home as an expression of who we are and how we want to live our lives.

And I invite you to join me in this. Let me know what you think about what I'm sharing. (It's now easier than ever to leave a comment. To get started, just click on the word "comments" at the bottom of the post.) Or send me your own ideas about creating a beautiful, meaningful, and renewing home life. You might just find yourself quoted in my next post!