I found a good book at IKEA on Sunday during a trip with my daughter.  We bought it to share.  We are both trying to be money conscious and careful about what we purchase.  She is moving to her first apartment since graduation and becoming a real grown-up.  I am so proud of how much she is decluttering in preparation for a post-student life.  I’m thinking back to how much I moved across country after graduation and marriage.  So much stuff!

Anyway, the book is entitled Kinder Homes: 50 Ideas for Creative Living.  I’ve just started looking through it and have already come to a stopping point – a place to read and absorb and savor the words that I’ve read.

“Stay hopeful, be creative, simple and down to earth.”

Words from a person miles and miles away from me in another country and yet they have summed up everything I am working towards.

Yesterday I was discouraged and that feeling carried over to today.  We fixed a plug above my studio desk and hung my “inspiration” bulletin board, but other than that, I didn’t accomplish much towards working on the house.

Everyday stuff filled the rest of my day.

I will stay hopeful and know that each small step is a step towards a more conscious life.  All my efforts make a difference.

The “everyday” stuff is the stuff that life is made up of.  It’s all good.