Mindful homeownership is the key to domestic bliss
End this year with less DIY and more TYS.
(TYS – Our own, original acronym for: “Thank your space.”)
Usually, our Weekly Fixes are full of tips, trends and links to help you improve, renovate and overhaul everything from your kitchen backsplash to your patio roof…While we love this (it is the motivation for our business after all) we have realised that a mad dash towards constant construction isn’t really the best way to live, long term.
That’s why, our tip, trend and checklist for the end of the year is dedicated to “Mindful homeownership”.
What is mindful homeownership?
Well, in short it means you should be in the moment with your house.
Before you knock down a wall for your latest expansion, take a moment to look at that wall and think about the sheltered it has provided to your family. Thank your space. (Pat the wall, feel its strength – hug it if you want, we wont judge!)
This is a practice we are borrowing from renowned de-cluttering and home organizing expert, Marie Kondo. During her home organization sessions, she advises her clients to take a moment to hold and thank items before they discard them.
“An important part of her tidying method is to thank the items in your home for serving their purpose before you let them go. As you express gratitude for them, you’ll also learn to do the same with the items you decide to keep. By following her advice, you can ease into the practice of being thankful in life overall.”
The first step towards mindfulness is gratitude.
Gratitude does not have to mean total and everlasting happiness. You don’t have to be absolutely thrilled with every aspect of your life to be able to practice (and reap the benefits) of gratitude.
Gratitude can be as simple as being thankful for the cup of coffee in your hand, even though your kitchen looks like a trash fire and the bathroom drain is clogged…again.
The point of gratitude is noticing one small thing and taking a moment to be thankful for it.
We know that you have a whole wish list of things you want to change and improve at home. This is normal and exciting, but don’t let this list blind you to the home you already have. Live in it for a bit.
Structural repairs are a different thing.
If your roof is leaking, your walls are in danger of collapsing or your house is unsafe in some way, please – fix it up before it becomes a bigger problem.
We are talking about vanity driven bathroom revamps, kitchen expansions or other “nice to have” construction projects.
Never mind the Jones’s.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Whether we want to admit it or not, we humans constantly compare ourselves to others. This is a dangerous game, because it is impossible (believe us) to be permanently better and ahead of every single other person in the world. Sooner or later, you will make a mistake or fail at something big (or small) and that is just life. So instead of trying to keep up with ever home influencer or bragging neighbour, turn your eyes inward.
See your home for the safe space it is – the place that welcomes you home, the place that you have chosen to raise your family or build your independence.
It is a home, not the Golden Gate bridge.
There is an urban legend about the Golden Gate bridge, which states that because the bridge is so large, the moment the maintenance crews finish repainting it, the other side already needs a fresh coat of paint again. This same legend has been applied to the Eiffel tower in Paris and while both seem a bit farfetched, we do like them as metaphors for what NOT to do to your house.
Sometimes, you should just leave well enough alone.
Don’t try to “fix” things that aren’t broken just because you have found a new aesthetic on Pinterest. Don’t just blindly jump from project to project. Enjoy the completion of one project, and live with it in your home, before you decide what to tackle next.
