Reflections on Comparison, Home & Enoughness

 October 14, 2020

Reflections on Comparison, Home & Enoughness: An unexpected Monday love letter (to myself & to you if it speaks to you today)
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Does anyone else get sucked into the rabbit hole of “if only my home/life/x were more instagrammable or Pinterest-y?” ⁣
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Y’all, I got sucked in for real over the last couple days: chasing ideas and wishes for the perfect living room decor, the perfect arrangement of furnishings, and the most picturesque set of things that will bring satisfaction. And you know what? With each comparison I made between my home and some external example in a Pinterest or magazine article, the less grounded in gratitude & reality I felt.⁣
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In my worry about perfection & external validation, I forgot to appreciate: 1) access to shelter, period; and 2) the stories in so many of the spaces in my home: pieces of furniture handed down from families or found at antique or secondhand shops;the memories stored in the photos, books, and kitchen items. The joy found in quirky handmade blankets, musical instruments, candles. The tables and chairs that hold conversation and good meals. ⁣
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I’m not saying it’s not ok to dream, organize, and/or to create spaces in our homes and workplaces that bring joy & connection. But there’s a whole conversation about class and privilege and the ways in which I/we often tie our worth to our stuff that can often get lost. Those stories about what’s missing can be so sneaky and cleverly disguised as emotional (or life stage) maturity, when perhaps when all is said and done our endeavors to bring joy can turn into relentless pursuits of image and status. Life can become an endless checklist of “must achieve/acquire x by x date.” How limiting that is! How little that leaves to be shaped by imagination and lifelong learning.
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In other words, I’m on a lifelong journey to remember that I’m enough, my home is enough, my body and mind and gifts are enough, and my work and my relationships are gifts because they are given by the Spirit and because they are unique to my story, call and life. With that understanding at the foundation, I and we can then move into the deeper, richer and messier waters of real transformation for the long haul—not by our stuff, but by our hearts & souls. Let’s journey together.