There is a phrase buzzing around on Facebook these days when people describe their husbands, “not perfect, but perfect for me.” Well, that is certainly true of my husband, but I recently thought of the phrase with respect to houses. I was cleaning out some old file folders filled with inspirational ideas for decorating, sewing, and gardening. Along with those, I have kept a folder filled with house plans. For many years, I thought my dream house was in there somewhere.
I threw the contents of the folder away without even riffling through it. Not because the dream is dead, but because I am living it. Our house is not new, and it’s not what I once would have thought I dreamed of. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfect for us.
We bought this one several years ago and the minute the former occupant was out, it felt like home to us. Even with painters and workers tromping through for a few weeks to spruce things up, Jim and I knew we were home. There were nearly thirty years of memories in our former home – memories of our little girls and then their little boys, but this was the setting our souls desired.
What we had come to realize is that we were looking for was a few acres in the woods that had a house we could live in. That’s what we found.
Home: a front porch with swings. A screened back porch which was the favorite room of a little Corgi we loved. Rooms inside big enough to move around and house all our stuff. A kitchen where we can eat and feed friends. A house for us needs books, so we built bookshelves. A place to compute, to read, to sew, to store a few cameras. We are good. We are home.
Some people who read this are looking for words related to quilting. As I proofread this, the title resonates with recent advice I’ve been reading related to creativity. The pursuit of perfection is the enemy of creativity. So, my quilts are “not perfect, but….” But I still love to make them. I once strived for near perfect execution of the details. Now I’m more excited about playing with new color combinations or layout or techniques. It’s all about the fun I’m having!
Enjoyed reading this!