“Working on this house has been serving as a vessel for working on ourselves…”
I don’t know how this happens, but another year in this house has come and gone. Memorial Day weekend marked the close of our 3rd full year residing here, and we find ourselves cherishing this home more now than when we first started. Every project has deepened our appreciation and enhanced our emotional investment. Each room continually evolves based on our needs, and we’re reaching a point where we’re coming back around to put some finishing touches on some of the first spaces we modified.
Since updating the front hall closet last spring, we also finished out our second bathroom, re-textured ceilings in the back entry and kitchen, re-framed more windows to the farmhouse style we love, installed a large kitchen island, repainted and redecorated our master bedroom, and replanted three garden beds in the front and back of the house. Oh, we also had the exterior of the house painted, and driveway resealed. Yeah, it’s been a busy season.
Working on this house has been serving as a vessel for working on ourselves. With every improvement we make to the house, we experience a surge of personal growth. It’s not always easy or joy-filled. It’s sometimes hard. It’s messy. It’s effort-full. It’s loud. But quite honestly it’s something we’d no doubt be facing with or without a renovation project, and frankly I’m glad to have the literal tools to work through the personal growth and renovation simultaneously. It’s rewarding and expressive and so, so fulfilling.
We’re on the cusp of sheer enjoyment. Sure, there will always be something to fix, or upgrade, or improve upon. But for now, for the next foreseeable season, we’re contented. We’re enriched. We’re upgraded to our fullest potential. And if that means kicking our feet up on a pile of deck boards waiting to be installed while we push ahead with a fun outdoor movie night with friends? Then so be it. This is what life looks like for us, and we’re okay with that.
Amber Wegener 