When Life Changes How We Live

 It turns out that people are right. The years go quickly and the children grow. When we moved to this home, our oldest was in middle school. Last summer, he graduated from college and married his high school sweetheart. His sunny corner room is now living its best life as a guest room. You see, days drift and needs change. My youngest is happy to not have to share the bathroom upstairs while her sister is off at college. This time next year, my husband and I will begin to wonder what to do with all that space upstairs as learn how to be empty nesters. This is life. 

Raise your hand if you know true contentment. If I'm being totally honest here, I struggle. So, of course, January makes its appearance and learning to be content steps up as a goal. We've lived in our home for 8 1/2 years, which is actually the longest time that we have ever lived in the same place. That's a pretty big deal for us. We have had the best of all worlds with this home. Proximity to our schools, space around us, large rooms, old house love, wood floors, and many more attributes have kept us here. Our little slice of heaven on earth. We love our home and it has served us well. This reminds me of the hidden wallpaper we found in the kitchen. We've also been so busy, there hasn't been much time to be unhappy about the minor things that could be improved. Time tells us there are a few things we need to figure out.

Making changes to a 111 year old home isn't for the faint of heart. I'm more of a purist than some, but we can talk later about the decorative changes we've made to the house that aren't historically accurate. Fortunately, we haven't made any structural changes. But, we might. We are considering it. It is daunting. The very idea of adding or changing the farmhouse makes me feel like we are attempting to change history. Isn't that a strange way of thinking? It is our home and yet it feels borrowed. My dad used to tell me that when I borrow something, I should always try to return it in better condition than when it was borrowed.