I have been absent from my own blog for quite a while now. I haven't been keeping up with the blogs that I love either. Sometimes life just gets too hectic. In fact, the saying 'when it rains, it pours' has been very prominent these last few months.
Nonetheless, when I feel out of control in other areas of my life, my home becomes a much bigger focus for me for some reason. I think it is just me grasping desperately for control of something. Minimalism kind of helps sooth me. My focus has honed onto my dining room table. I want to cut its legs off. No, I'm not mean and vindictive towards it; I merely want to transition it to a coffee table for the living room.
The thing is that we never NEVER use it as a dining room table. In fact, I fold laundry on it more than anything, really. However, our coffee table has seen better days and is never big enough for all the remotes, cups, plates, and controllers that seem to gather when we are hanging out or eating in the living room. Now, I know they say not to eat in front of the TV because you are less mindful of your consumption; however, I've tried and tried and that just is NOT how we live. We do everything but cook and sleep in the living room, it seems. So I am trying to accept that fact and tailor the house in response.
Now, I have tried over and over to convince my husband that it would be much more useful in the living room (after some modification), but he cannot get past the empty space that would be left in the wake of the transition. To him, it doesn't matter that we don't have the money to replace the coffee table with another purchase and that the kitchen table would fit perfectly with a slight height reduction. All he can focus on, in my opinion, is the fact that there is a space for a table with a chandelier so there MUST be a piece of furniture there for that never-fullfilled purpose of dining.
...*sigh*...
I have a hard time when it comes to social norms and following suit blindly. I think it's great when people break out of the mold and live life intentionally with what they actually NEED. In fact, I do not care for the norm that in this country it seems it is EXPECTED that one's home have a kitchen (the bigger the better, oh and an island), dining room (the hutch AND 8 seater table are just for formal occasions), living room (better make sure we can seat a crowd), multiple bedrooms (walk-in closets are SUCH a MUST), multiple bathrooms (why NOT have at least 2 showers), over-sized garage (one must have seasonal vehicles too, right), etc...
If I do not use a second bedroom, is it not a waste of materials for it to be built? A waste of energy so that it is cleaned and maintained? A waste of resources for it to be heated and cooled? Is it not silly that if I do NOT use a kitchen table to eat at, that I keep one anyway so that I do not look absurd to the rare visitor that may or may not come around??
...*sigh*...
I'm not sure if I can get him to see my side of things. I know he is entitled to have his own opinions and taste when it comes to our home.
I guess I just wish we'd all take a minute to question all of these things (or obligations, tasks, etc) that we constantly have bombarding our existence. Most of it isn't necessary, I promise. And if you (or we, me, whomever) can get past that initial scary part, you'll learn that you never needed it in the first place. Heck, in a few years, you may forget you ever lived WITH it!
