Today would have been my dad’s 86th birthday. Sadly, we lost him nearly 20 years ago at aged 67. Happy Birthday, Dad. You are still loved and thought of often. I still tell stories about you. I still use many of your phrases, including “D-U-L-N, DONE”. Most of all, I still remember the lessons you taught me. I’ll always remember those. I wish you could have seen the kids grow up or meet your great grandson in July. In my heart, I know that you are still with us. Through the humor we share, the hijinks we still engage in and in the quiet moments in the woods. I feel your presence so many times and in so many ways.
And as I pause for just a few moments to celebrate my dad, it seems like both an awkward and petty pivot to then talk about my Pinterest boards. But this morning, at about 6:46 a.m., I deleted a slew of boards. Yep, I did that. I crossed the Rubicon. It’s only been about 15 minutes, but I’m still alive to talk about it.
Here’s the thing, though. The Pinterest boards were largely focused on what could be as we did renovations. The renovations are nearly done. It’s time to live with what is. Candidly, it all turned out pretty fantastic – I think my dad would love my house (and especially my woods) – and I’m satisfied. Time to move on from those boards.
Now, that’s not to say there are not other boards. In fact, I have a few new to create. But what I deleted? Well, that included two weddings (the couples involved are now having babies), a kitchen renovation, front yard landscaping, butcher block countertops, guest bathroom, fireplace room, floors and dining room boards. They all got struck off. In all, 16 boards were deleted; 33 remain. But it was definitely time to cull the herd. Part of the overall decluttering of my life is related to eliminating any unnecessary noise. I’m not sure a Pinterest board could ever be considered necessary, but they’ve been helpful as I’ve designed and managed renovations. Still, the ones that I will likely never look at again? Well, I wasn’t too terribly sad to see them go. As it does every time I get rid of the excess around here, it felt incredibly freeing to clean up my Pinterest page.
And now? Well, I move on from those deleted boards. Today, we have essentially three last “big projects”. The first is the deck we are doing this summer. The second is our driveway and garage, which we are not doing, just paying for. And the final is our main bathroom, which like the garage, is unscheduled. However, we will likely be doing that project. But in the middle of those, we are also making time for us, for fun and to have a life. Today, on my dad’s birthday, it seems very fitting to honor both our renovation souls and our lives outside of obligation. Just like us, my dad was both things. An incredibly hard worker, he and my mom painfully restored our childhood home. A man with a great sense of humor, he also enjoyed a good vacation as much as anybody. I’ll never forget how much he loved Yellowstone or our annual family trips to the beach.
And that same love for a great vacation is what is inspiring my new Pinterest board. Yep, I’m building an Antigua board. Yes, the vacation is still two years away. But I spent a year planning that first trip to Antigua and found that the planning was an elixir for almost all things that ailed me. I’m perfectly happy spending the next two years planning the next trip.
As I sit here with an incredibly busy work schedule and with Mother Nature still working her backside off trying to get rid of mountains of snow, it is the anticipation of another trip to Antigua that is soothing my soul this morning. As a family unit, we have mounds of home-related work to do before that next trip (which is why it’s pushed out two years). I still have to work and continue to build my business as well. Then, there is the day-to-day grind of a large house and yard, five pets, two busy lives and that series of unexpected events and general busy-ness that seeps into everyone’s regular existence. Yet out there is this trip which can be a mental escape for the next two years and will be my own refuge whenever I need to practice a little escapism. Therefore, it doesn’t seem like such a big stretch to create a Pinterest board to celebrate it and plan for it.
The Yuppie Homesteader 