Renovating my home and my life

A recent blog post by Twitter friend @jenselk about how renovations are the perfect metaphor for her life over the past few years has really set me to thinking lately.

You see, without going into too much detail, over the last few months I too have been "renovating" my life -- breaking down old habits, creating new priorities and routines, essentially, ripping the whole thing down to the studs -- and can't help but see the parallels to totally gutting your home.

Like starting over with a new home, 'renovating' your life allows you to reconfigure, re-prioritize and, essentially, turn something that was less than perfect into something that works for you.

Odds are, when you bought your home you compromised. Maybe the space was smaller than you wanted, the layout was a little choppy or the neighbourhood wasn't quite right. You figured with time, you'd be able to spruce it up and make it work for you. Plus, there's always quick fixes to keep patching it along - a fresh coat of paint here, a new drawer pull there, and voila!

But, eventually, those temporary solutions start to wear a bit thin, and you decide it's time to finally jump in with both feet and find something that really works for you.

In a home, that means modernizing kitchens, blowing out walls, changing colour palettes and finding organizational systems that suit the way you live. In life, while there are no clear floorplans, you're still analyzing the way you live and trying to create a "space" that's healthier, happier and, quite simply, more "you."

And it isn't easy. The moment that first sledgehammer or drill hits the wall, when you've hit the point of no return, you're instantly left second guessing what on earth you've gotten yourself into. What was really so bad about that cramped kitchen? You certainly could have lived without that walk-in closet. Maybe a coat of paint really was all it needed. And perhaps your old routines weren't so terribly unhealthy?

Of course, by that point, it's always too late to go back.

Once the initial shock wears off, you're left tackling a logistical nightmare. There are countless mundane decisions that demand your attention every minute as you try to figure out what's going to fit in with your new reality. Bills mount, and timelines stretch on and on. You wonder if it's ever going to end, and what happened to your nice orderly pre-reno life.

Everything feels like a mess and you just can't wait for the dust to settle. 

But eventually, the light at the end of the tunnel starts to emerge. You get to see the new pieces - whether it's those killer kitchen cabinets finally being installed or your new exercise regime finally kicking in - coming together and you're reminded why you started the whole lousy process in the first place.

Because, in the end, you're getting exactly what you want and need. You've reinforced the foundation, brought all the elements up to code, and made room in your life for more of the things you enjoy.You've made your life, and space, work better for you - which is never a bad decision. But it's OK if, like after each time you move, you still swear to never do it again.

(SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO)

Comments

[Jen Selk]

Great post, Jen. Renovating is always scary, but I think the key is to keep in mind the reasons you had for embarking on the project in the first place. That's what I try to do.

Oh, and thanks for the shout out!