It’s a Throwback Wednesday–or something like that. Back to making a simple change around the house to use space more intentionally.

The cable guy came out to the house today, which meant I had to leave work early to let him in. I used these two extra kid-free hours at home to tend to something I have begun to notice:

Things are settling on shelves, and counters, and desks–and becoming unseen.

In many ways, I’m revisiting an old problem from our old house–it was the plight of our living room and our dining room table. But we are in a different house now–and the difference is this: for the longest time, whenever we would visit this house, we would be hyper-vigilant in keeping the place in order. Now that we are living here, and have been under this roof for about four months, I’ve noticed how we have all stopped attending to the spread of disorder, from surface to surface.

But why should I care less about my home than I do when I am visiting some other person’s home as a guest? I suppose we all do, at some level–but does that really make any sense?

So today, I took on just a few surfaces that had already achieved an initial, sedimentary layer. First: the tables and counters in the den. Then: the “sidebar” counter in the kitchen. And finally: the desk at which I am now sitting.

A few subtle arrangement, some trips to the trashcan and the recycling bin–and once again, I have a sense that I am caring for the spaces of my everyday life.

Not bad for a couple of hours’ work!