Renovations

Changing Is Not Just Physical But Mental

 

Recently we have been doing renovations on our home.  It is a long, arduous process.  And for someone with OCD like myself, very stressful.  I hate the mess. I hate the disorganization.  Most of all, I hate having my time tied up with a project like this when I have other things I want and need to do.

 

 I find it difficult to write and work in the chaos of my home right now.  I am tired of losing things in the piles of stuff we have sitting around.  I also frankly am tired of having people in and out of my house, even if I appreciate what they are doing.  Renovations can be maddening.  Especially if you are like me and enjoy peace and quiet in your home. 

 

One of the things that I have realized through this process is that not only was my home undergoing renovations, but I am as well.  As I was decluttering the house in preparation for the workers, I felt better. There were a lot of things that I was holding onto that I didn’t need anymore. 

 

As I would sit down to try and work and I could not concentrate on what I was doing.  The noise and interruption made it nearly impossible.  After many frustrating weeks of feeling like I was accomplishing nothing, I had a revelation that maybe my mind needed decluttering as well as my home. So, I began to concentrate on the things in my mind that I needed to let go of.  I began to form new habits because I couldn’t always have access to my office.  And I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.  I didn’t realize that I had become stagnant in my space.  And, by being under construction in my home, I found new spaces that inspired me in different ways. 

 

No matter how old we are, or how much life experience we have, or how much work we have done on ourselves, there is always room for improvement. That is probably the most valuable lesson that I have learned through this process.  Sometimes we become so accustomed to our surroundings and so comfortable with things in our life that we don’t recognize that they are no longer serving us. 

 

The construction at my home is finally coming to an end.  I am very grateful for that!  Partially because I can put things in order again.  But also because I am realizing that sometimes we need a change in our life.  Not just in our surroundings, but within ourselves.  We need to take time to evaluate where we are and what we are doing.  We need to take inventory and see what is useful in our life, and what we need to let go of.  Sometimes we simply need to do some renovations, not just with the space we physically live in, but the space that lives within us.