My procrastination comes in bouts — especially when it comes to home projects. I’m putting off having my roof fixed and I recently delayed getting the gutters cleaned (even months after my neighbors mentioned how bad it was getting…multiple times). There’s a sink that is slow to drain and a pile of art that needs to be hung.
But my imagination never sleeps.
I ponder how a new rug will look in the living room, contemplate how to redo my kitchen and especially the seafoam green master bathroom. I buy plants and move them around. I purchase pillows and then hate them (I struggle so much with pillows! Anyone else?).
There’s been some success. After months looking into peel-and-stick wallpaper, I bit the bullet and bought some. A small upstairs wall is now more cheerful (and a little tropical) after some trial and error. I’ve got the beginnings of a gallery wall in my dining room. And I’ve been searching for colored glass vases of various heights and shapes to tuck into my home’s nooks and crannies.
What I’ve learned is that it’s easy to look at beautiful homes, such as the Chesterland home designed by Dawn Cook in this month's Home Issue, and see things you love and want to include or emulate in your own home. But it also takes time and patience, especially if you’re doing things on your own.
For example, it seemed like I was heading to the home improvement store every day last summer like the rest of you. During one trip, I finally settled on painting my fireplace white. I bought the painter’s tape, brushes, a drop cloth and primer.
Those supplies sat in my basement for months, until I started reading this month’s cover package and got inspired again. I’d love to say I’ve completed the project, but procrastination is a hard habit to break (just ask the curtains in my guest bedroom waiting to be hung).
I can at least report that I’ve got a first coat of primer done and am now choosing a paint color. I hope it doesn’t take me another 10 months to take that next and final step, but when I do, I know I’ll be proud of what I’ve accomplished.
