Posted by: Bethany
I’ve spent the morning flipping through a new edition of Better Homes and Gardens. Needless to say, I became quite envious of the perfectly manicured homes with their spotless windows and carpets. Hardwood floors that shine so that I would be able to see my reflection in them.
I take a quick glance around my house. There are three pairs of flip flops in the living room floor, a coffee table stacked with books and magazines, and a empty cup sitting by the computer.
*Sigh*
I want my house to look like these in the magazine…beautiful white trim, completely lacking in dust, trendy fabrics covering the couch, lovely arrangements of fall flowers gracing the tables, custom built shelves filled with books (all in neat order) and matching picture frames… and no trace of stray crayons or puzzle pieces on the floor.
One more glance almost sends me into despair…the basket of laundry on the couch…and is that a piece of popcorn under the couch??!
Suddenly I’m interrupted by the voice of a seven year old, “Mom, have you seen the crayons?”
And I realize these pictures are missing something. They are missing something important. There are no children bowing their heads and fixing their hands to say the blessing, no spontaneous gifts of weeds wildflowers given from grubby little hands, no begging to bake and decorate “cookie cuppers”, no delighted squeals when Mr. Josh chases the kids around threatening to “throw them in a hole”, no smell of pot roast cooking on Sunday, no sound of Joshua practicing guitar for the praise band, no neighbor boys knocking on the door asking for the kids to come out and play, no pirate ships in the backyard (trees fallen from the storm), no bedtime stories and good night prayers…
No life. No real living.
So, after one more glance into the magazine, I shut it. Content. My house is full of life! And that’s better than even polished floors.
“The crayons are on the floor by the bookshelf in the living room!”
September 19th, 2005 at 2:42 pm
At many houses there is the room which is the showplace. The carpet is always clean, there is no trash lying around, no toys in the middle of the floor. The pillows are perfectly fluffed on the couch. The small decorative touches are in the exact place they are supposed to be.
The room stays this way for one reason — no one ever goes in there.
September 19th, 2005 at 2:48 pm
Lol. That is definately the only way a room would stay that way at my house! Noone could go in.
I’m afraid my little darlings are walking disasters and their mother isn’t much better!
September 19th, 2005 at 4:32 pm
Well put! I enjoyed reading this. It reminds me of a similar perfectly manicured scene I saw in a Pergo floor catalog. They had a quote on that page that I cut out and put on my fridge. It said “Tip: To add a touch of personal warmth to a room, try adding humans.” By the way…I enjoyed your comments on my site. Thanks for visiting. Vashti
September 19th, 2005 at 5:36 pm
Amen, sister.
September 19th, 2005 at 10:56 pm
You are right, they are missing people, activity, life. I will take my mildly messy house any day!!!
September 21st, 2005 at 5:46 am
Right on. My wife has convinced me that our three boys are worth much more than those immaculate rooms in magazines.
September 21st, 2005 at 9:51 pm
Oh boy, have I been there. I know better than to even pick up one of those magazines. I start coveting all over the place, and my family goes into hiding.