I was reading Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes last night and I've reached Chapter 5: Hunting: When the Heart is a Lonely Hunter. This chapter has the story of Skeleton Woman and in it Estes discusses the Life/Death/Life Nature of Love. What does this have to do with my remodel, the intelligent reader would now be asking. Well, Estes states that "it is good to make a meditative and daily practice of untangling the Life/Death/Life nature over and over again." She continues by suggesting that we should ask questions such as, "What must I give more death to today, in order to generate more life? What do I know should die, but am hesitant to allow to do so? . . . What should die today? What should live? What life am I afraid to give birth to? If not now, when?"
I have been pondering these questions and I think they relate a lot to the fact that life is always changing and that death is just a part of life, without which there would be no more life. And so I thought about what I'd done yesterday, emptying out the middle of my house where the remodel is happening, and that process is involving lots of decisions about what really needs to "die" or go away to make room for my new life and the way I wish to move forward. Right now things are very jumbled and my congested living room is even more congested, but the process of giving birth to the new home, so to speak, with the vision I have for it requires first, the courage to take the step to have the center of my home demolished (a step which I don't think I would have been able to take if I didn't have a contractor of the highest capabilities and in whom I have utter confidence!). Then once that decision has been made, there are myriad more decisions about what to keep and what to let go of as I empty that part of the house.
Some decisions were relatively easy--I have way too much cat furniture left from an era when I had many more cats (at one point 15!). And some of the pieces are old and worn. Other choices are less obvious, but I'm using the criteria that if the item hasn't been used in the last year (one full seasonal cycle), then I don't really need it. But as Estes says, some things must die or go away at least out of my life in order to make room for the birth of a new idea, a new plan, a new path. And so today I will continue with my untangling of the Skeleton Woman as I do my part in this remodel.
I like how you tied in the latest chapter you're reading in WWRWTW with your big sorting/culling/remodeling project. I've been through a few of those in recent years - lot of work, not much fun, tough decisions - but it sure feels good when it's done! Same thing goes with remodeling. And have you noticed that in order to get things streamlined, tidier and more organized they always seem to have to get more congested, messier and chaotic first? What's THAT about.
ReplyDeleteSo what's your remodeling project going to be? Were you so inspired by all the yummy recipes on Vegan MoFo that you decided to put in a kitchen? LOL You're really lucky to have an excellent and trustworthy contractor. They're rare birds indeed! Get your chef friend to bake him some brownies or something. :-)
I hope you'll be taking before and after photos to post!
Thanks, Laurie, and yes, I do like to tie things together. Thanks also for your suggestion of WWRWTW as I am really enjoying it--I read a few pages each night before going to sleep and as dense as that book is, I think that is a good plan. Last night I started the finding your pack chapter which you'd recommended specifically and you are right--that really works for me! My loyal and trustworthy contractor is a she, which makes her even better from my perspective and she has a very good energy. I'm going to post another remodel post I hope today with full description and a few chaos photos. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy to know you're so enjoying that book, Daphne! :-)
ReplyDeleteCool, your contractor is a woman? Most excellent! There are no female contractors around here ~ I've never even seen any women working in any capacity in the construction field here except as receptionist/secretary. So much for living in the Equality State! *snort*
I'll be looking forward to all your progress photos! I hope to post a few before and after pics of our living room makeover sometime after Thanksgiving. I took the "afters" yesterday and today, now it's a matter of choosing which ones to use and locating some good "befores!"
So does that mean your remodel is "done?" I'm not certain mine ever will be as I keep adding to my list. My remodel with Leigh (yes really cool to have a woman!) started in February 2009, but we've gotten a lot done (some of which is going now to be redone--like the laundry room which will be in its third location since I move into this house 4 1/2 yrs ago--but I wasn't ready to take such giant steps), and I do actually enjoy the process.
ReplyDeletedaphnepurpus -- Women Who Run With The Wolves is one of my all time favorites. She ties in folktales so seamlessly with our present way of living. Have fun reading the rest of her great book. Thanks for joining my blog as a follower. -- barbara
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