The Art of Making a Home

I am LOVING my new "job". I had always heard if you find a job you love doing you will never work another day of your life. Let me tell you, that is the TRUTH! For those of you who might not know, my new job is that of "Homemaker".

Making a house a home is not just about cleaning the place up...it's about making a haven where those who live here can refresh, recharge and reenter the outside world ready for another day. To do that not only requires a neat, orderly, clean space. It requires a measure of predictability. My husband should be able to count on clean underwear in his drawer. My daughter should be able to count on groceries in the pantry. The pets, not to mention the family, should be able to count on being fed about the same time each day. (Well, the cat actually DEMANDS to be fed the same time each day, but that's another blog!) It also "requires" an amount of pleasure to the senses. Warm (or cool) temperature, appropriate lighting, nice smells.....you get the picture.

Making a house a home is an art. Just like writing, painting or composing music, it's not for everyone and it doesn't come naturally to many people. Some painters don't have to think about what they're doing, they just let the brush in their hand move on the canvas. Michelangelo said "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it." He also said "Carving is easy, you just go down to the skin and stop." (When I look at a block of stone, I see rock; if I were carving, I'd probably go down to the innards and still never have seen the statue!!) In the same way, some homemakers seem to do their jobs without having to think about it. They just do what needs to be done naturally. I think I have that kind of homemaker in me, but she's been asleep for a very long time. You've heard about bringing your inner child out to play? Well, I'm bringing my inner homemaker out to practice her art!!

So far I've been focusing on putting some routines in place more than I have concentrated on doing the actual "job". I'm preparing my palette!