How to make a house a home

Reflecting on life this morning while the skies get ready to open up here in not so sunny California. It’s a drizzly day, and the clouds are blocking my view of the mountain so I’m looking through my file for inspiration while I continue to work on my lists. We have come to understand that life doesn’t just happen- it takes a lot of hard work, and planning, compromise and honesty.

But you know what helps? Making lists. Or rather- having a plan, which entails making lists of all the things you have, all the things you want to have, and all the different ways of getting those things. For example:

I used to dream of having a garden- not just any garden, but acres of tilled soil, with orchards and fields and. . . well. Maybe someday- it is a nice dream, after all. But we work in an expensive city, and we live in an apartment. But we hit the jackpot with this one, in one regard:

See all that light out there? We did not have that where we used to live. And now that space looks like this:

Seven short months later, and it’s not even spring yet! So- make those lists, and dream as big as you can. Then take a look at where you are, and do what you can. Be honest with yourself- I cannot take care of an entire farm by myself while my husband is at work being a school teacher. But I took a good long hard look at that dream, and I was able to see the spirit of that wishful fantasy. Plants! And light, and a place for my Tasha to play, hunt, learn and grow. And you know what? It’s making everyone in our little family happy, not just me. So I am able to share my dream, instead of locking it away behind bitterness, disappointment and regret. And isn’t that the important part of it all?

Live your dream.