I LOVE painting a room. I know that’s probably going to sound strange to a lot of readers. After all, painting is supposed to be a chore right?
When I decide to paint a room, I feel excitement. I daydream about how great the room is going to look once I’m done. And once I get started, I make sure to do everything “right”. I move all of the furniture out of the room. I plaster any nail holes or damage to the walls. I get out my power sander and I smooth out any drip lines and uneven spots. I remove all of the light fixtures and door hardware so I can paint around them properly. I polish all of the hardware before I put it back on. I take my time. I do smooth thin coats of paint rather than glop it on. And I use this time to think and reflect.
Some people spend money on a meditation retreat. I paint.
Most of the time, we see change and transformation happen so slowly. With paint, you can see it happen with just one stroke of the paint brush or roller. And I love that about it. I love how a fresh coat of paint can completely change a room when all it is is just a new color. I love to see how different colors can create a completely different mood. It’s so superficial, yet very real and substantial at the same time. What are those little yet big changes we are denying ourselves? How might you transform?
When I sand down the drip lines of previous painters, I see the many different colors that room has been painted previously. It’s like peaking into someone’s diary. Especially seeing wild bright colors of the past come through. Were these perhaps the colors of their College football team? Or perhaps they were just a rebellious spirit? The room has a past under the surface, just like we do.
And then once I finish, once I remove the last piece of painters tape, I can’t help but just stand in the room and admire how different it all looks. I don’t know what it is, but fresh paint always looks good. Color trends come and go, and that’s okay. It’s okay to embrace change. It’s okay to experiment with something new. It’s also okay to have old favorites. This is actually a paint color that I’ve used in every house I’ve ever owned. It makes me feel peaceful and I just like it.
If you find yourself looking around your room and realizing that it’s been long overdue for a new paint job, you might want to ask yourself what other self care you’ve been denying yourself. Often things happen in patterns and there may be other things in your life that you have been avoiding. You can start with a new gallon of paint and then use that quiet time to reflect. You never know what may come up.
