Possession #19 - Stained Glass Window

I like this video of Matthew Pickering singing, "Your Beauty Transforms Every Space." Not quite sure what it all means, but it makes me think of the power that beauty has of changing our environment. One purpose of some of my stuff is to add a bit of beauty to my home. I don't want my house to just be a place where I eat and sleep. Hopefully, it has some restorative qualities and for me, that has a lot to do with how much beauty I have in it.

This stained glass window comes from my parent's home which they had to get rid of when they downsized to a smaller apartment. So, it not only adds some beauty to the front porch but it carries memories and meaning. What are the things that you find beautiful in your home? What do they do for you?

Possession #18 - Another Lamp and Stand

The perspective and camera settings are different on this one, but it's identical to the lamp and stand from the last post - a matched set. Isn't it cool how stuff can look different from another angle? In fact, one of my goals is to present all my stuff in as artistically a pleasing way as possible even though most of it is...well...just stuff. Going to all the effort of doing this is making me wonder if a miss a lot of beauty that's right under my nose simply because I'm so used to it...or maybe also because there's so much darn much of it! If you want another really cool perspective on...ummm...perspective then look at this interactive presentation of the scale of the universe...after you do this, then take another look at the dust bunnies under your couch. See if they look the same. What do you think?

Possession #17 - Lamp on a stand

I always love to listen to the gritty graciousness of Anne Lamotte. She once wrote in a Salon article, "Everything I've ever let go of, has claw marks on it." She was talking about forgiveness, but I suppose the same thing could be true about our stuff...maybe they're kind of the same thing.

I love lamps. I'd rather turn on three lamps if I can extinguish one overhead light (spotlights I call them). I've always had a thing for subdued lighting - candles, fireplaces, Christmas tree lights. I'd banish all fluorescent lighting if I could. Candlelight always hides the imperfections in the meal and makes for a more intimate atmosphere....atmosphere, that's the thing! If Jesus is the light of the world, I choose to believe he's a candle or a string of glowing tree lights rather than an antiseptic fluorescent. Also...keeping the lights dim is a great way to take care of all the dust on the bookshelves.

Possession #16 - Rug

When we purchased this rug we had just moved to a small town and were looking for something to put on our nice wood floors. A local store had a nice selection of rugs that might work, but we weren't sure. The owner of the store told us to go ahead and take it home and try it out to see if we liked it. Being mostly from bigger cities I waited for the "catch." I was waiting for what sort of promises I would be obligated to if I walked out the door with the rug. I pulled out my wallet assuming some sort of collateral would be needed - a credit card, driver's licence, my first born child... at the very least, an exchange of vital information. Instead, the owner told us she didn't need a thing, she knew who we were, she trusted us with her rug. We walked out with the rug and had our our first lesson in the uniquely amazing culture of small town America.

We kept the rug. At first I didn't really want to walk on it for fear of getting it dirty. I certainly didn't think our dog should lie on it...that lasted for about a day. Now, I've never put plastic slip covers on our couches, but I do get a little hyper-sensitive about "messing up" things. In my perfect world, I supposed, we wouldn't sit on the chairs, walk on the rugs or put food on the dining room table. Why is it I'm sometimes afraid to use things for the purposes that they were created? I guess I have a hard time trusting things to do what they're supposed to do and I want them to last forever without wearing out. I'm learning......we all wear out.

Possession #15 - Small table

This nice little table was built by my Uncle who liked futzing around in the workshop. It's great for meals in the living room and games of chess with my son (except that now he can beat me!). It does make me wonder why we have collapsible furniture. Probably, I suppose, so that when we're not using it, we can fold it up and put it out of the way to make room for other stuff (like large dogs who like to lie in the middle of the rug). According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average home size in the United States was 983 square feet in the 1950's, 1,400 square feet in the 1970's and 2,700 square feet in 2009. What are we doing with all that extra space!... oh yes... stuff!

Possession #14 - End Table

Another entire category of things is "Things That Have Been Given To Us." It always reminds me of that fabulous scene in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie gets the pink bunny pajamas from his Aunt Clara and is obligated to try it on. Now, I love this end table but since it was given to us by a friend, there's always a complicated brain-negotiation when trying to figure out where it fits in the household furniture hierarchy. And what do you do with those things that you want to get rid of but friend-obligation keeps them around. I suppose this is another version of the idea that many of our things are placeholders for ideas, values, friendships and memories.

Possession #13 - Coffee Table

Coffee Tables make me think of Coffee table books which seem to me to be objects whose only purpose is to be on display and rarely if ever used. They are in stark contrast to the coffee table itself which has many wonderful uses: 1) Holding coffee cups (of course). 2) Resting place for feet (If my parents aren't in the room). 3) Temporary dinner table in the living room during the Super Bowl. 4) Place to collect other stuff that has no assigned place.

I'm wondering if we have other objects like coffee table books - only purchased for show - for making an impression on others. On the other hand, you should probably take a look at the old episode from Seinfeld about coffee table books.