I've loved my day. I woke up fairly early this morning after achieving a limited amount of sleep (I have a head cold that has hung on, allowing me around 6ish hours of sleep these last few days; I'm sure the transition back East hasn't helped the situation), enjoyed some Ruby Red grapefruit juice while paying bills and going through stacks of mail, headed to the Post Office to send things off and came home. In that moment, I felt done for the day. I'd accomplished a ton and wondered how I'd spend the afternoon.
Not long after, my roommate and I were discussing our days and both stated a need to go to Target. I mentioned that I'd been thinking for weeks about the area rug I've wanted to find for the living room (my roommate's musings these last months about the missing item has become a prominent idea in my brain for the room) and we both thought it'd be good to head to Home Depot to check out some options she'd seen a while back.
Somehow, in the midst of this brief conversation, the topic of paint arose. I've been dying to paint the bathroom since I moved in three years ago and my roommate has been unsettled by a certain living room wall that has maintained a basic off white color (an old roommate and I painted several other walls, but unsure of how to approach the largest that connected living and dining spaces, left it) for years. She pulled out swatches she's been considering for her new apartment (sad! losing another roommate!) and all of a sudden, colors for both rooms stood out among the pack. It was completely unplanned, but there they were - the PERFECT bathroom color and the other to tie the living and dining room areas together in color harmony!
We couldn't believe it!
Finishing quickly at Target, we headed to Home Depot. Took a look at the rugs, but finding nothing exciting, moved on and purchased the paint, pans, edger, etc. The bathroom would be a sort of honey yellow and the wall in the living space would be a pearly gray. We moved on to Harvard Square to look at a couple more shops with area rugs - found a steal on two lamp stands (!) - stopped into Starbucks (of course!) and headed home a few hours after our departure.
The last hours have been well spent. It will sound weird, but I am so grateful for the gift of these two colors. Seriously, my house is more of a home tonight as a result of the changes and I feel so peaceful. There is something to be said about the process of painting. Some people love it, others abhor it; I'm in the "love" crowd. To paint and create change in a space that makes it more inviting, provides continuity and leaves you with a sense of wholeness in the environment is a thing of beauty. I'm always amazed by the overwhelming feeling of rest I experience when I paint - like deeply inhaling and releasing that air. Breathe in. Breathe out.
We sat and enjoyed the space for some time after completing the projects. It was sweet to discuss our perspectives on the process (we've discussed this stuff many times this year) and how it felt to complete it. As she moves out next month, I'm left in my beautiful condo with more of a sense of completion and "home." It's a gift and significant that her input has brought this to bear. I'm going to miss this roommate so much, but I'm so thankful for the opportunity to learn from her and see something completed that we both had hoped for in different ways.
Next on the list: well, that area rug that is still escaping me and more wall art. That said, I'll soon have a Wendy White original hanging somewhere in my house. I can't wait to see what it looks like and will share that story sometime in the near future! In the meantime, feel free to pop over and see the changes. :)
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