Eric Gaskins Vol 15: House Dressing
Honestly, there’s never NOT a good time to give your love shack or Palace, whichever the case may be, a good sprucing up. I’m not talking only about cleaning or painting or even tossing out things that no longer have a purpose. I’m talking about doing something to bring the spark back to that one place that makes everything ok – HOME.
Too many of us take our homes, like wives, husbands, partners, kids, parents and friends for granted. We have them, so that’s enough.
Nurturing, loving, encouraging and supporting them too often gets forgotten or just put on a To-Do list. Unlike Caryn Hirshleifer, who systematically goes down that list, MINUTE BY MINUTE, ticking off each and every responsibility, some of us come from a lazier place; the “I’ll get to it in a minute” place that always has room for more things to be avoided. When it comes to home, there’s always an opportunity to do something nice. The ones that benefit the most from these random acts of kindness are all the people I listed a moment ago, starting with YOU.
Little things can make the most profound difference, like music or lighting or the scent of a wonderful candle. The magic of a single blossom or masses of flowers spread throughout the house creates a feeling of peacefulness and happiness each time you notice them. How about a mass of lilacs in the bathroom to make the one room we spend the most time in a ’scentsory’ joy ride? How about a tall vase of giant tropical elephant ears in an entryway, foyer or sitting on a console? You don’t always need a blossom to say, “YUM”. I’m not big on cutting flowers from the garden, so instead, I just plant more and more so that everywhere I look, I see different blooming plants and bushes. Last weekend I put in 60 HUGE Hydrangeas and other more exotic things just so the yard would be as dynamic and welcoming as my home.
I don’t see all of this as Interior Decoration as much as I do making my nest more comfortable and reflective of me. I like peace, quiet, order, amusement and beauty. I try to manifest those qualities in my behavior, the way I dress and the way I live. A big healthy serving of ‘House Dressing‘ keeps the salad that’s my life crisp, fresh and always nourishing!
Next week I’m taking you all with me to the magic world of Auctions, the best way to find treasure without hiring the Calypso and a crew of 50, not to mention a submarine. All you need are a few bucks and nerves of steel!
Eric Gaskins ….. The Emperors Old Clothes
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