Day 33 Wed July 2

What's that sound?

(pause for dramatic effect)

Oh yeah...that's the sound of peace & quiet, silence.  I hear some birds chirping outside.  I hear my ceiling fan spinning.  I hear the tap-tap-tap of the keyboard as I type.  But that's all I hear!  You see, I am home alone!  This morning I have fed my kids & hubby and sent them off to day camp/work, checked my emails, fed the dog, gone for a bike ride, walked the dog and now I'm working on this.  It's only 9:35 am.  I've got some really exciting plans for the day.  You know, dishes, laundry, vacuuming...that sort of thing.  I really try to live an exciting life you know.

Lately, I've been reading this book.

If the picture is too small, it is called "If You Can't Lose It, Decorate It and other hip alternatives to dealing with reality".  It's by Anita Renfroe, one of my favorite Christian lady comedians.  I originally figured that the book would be about body image stuff.  She's a really funny lady, so I expected this to be a comedy book.  And while she does throw in a lot of funny stuff, it's actually a serious book.  Mrs. Renfroe talks about changing your perspective on whatever your reality in life is.  For example, she talks about all different topics & how to change your perspective on those things.  It's not written as a "how to" sort of book, though.  She talks about her own life & things she's learned over the years through her experiences. 

One of the first things she talks about is how she & her husband lived in this tiny little house when they first got married.  He was in ministry, so they lived in the church-owned parsonage.  It was not all that pretty.  It was very small.  The carpet was ugly, the window treatments outdated, it needed to be painted (inside & out).  You get the idea.  She said that she decided that while no one else's opinion of them could be changed if they were on the outside looking in, SHE could change her perspective from the inside (of that house) so that her view, looking out, was very different.  She changed out the curtains & stencilled geese on the kitchen walls.  She got a few rugs & painted a couple of the rooms.  All the sudden, this not-so-great house was "home" for her and it changed the way she looked at the house.

Check out the chapter titles for an idea of what all she talks about & the way humor plays into the book.

chapter 1--If you can't change the picture, try a new frame.

chapter 2--If all the world's a stage, can I get Oprah's lighting?

chapter 3--If money grew on trees, we'd all be staunch ecologists.

chapter 4--If you can't beat 'em, tickle 'em.

chapter 5--If blood is thicker than water, one is much better for swimming.

chapter 6--If you're happy and you know it, you're probably annoying someone who isn't.

chapter 7--If love is blind, that explains a lot.

chapter 8--If you can conceive it, you can support it for the rest of its life.

chapter 9--If your friends set fire to their cubicles, would you?

chapter 10--If time waits for no man, it certainly takes women for a ride.

chapter 11--If someone's in a wormhole, skip the decorating advice.

chapter 12--If you can't decorate it, lose it.

 

Anyway, you get the idea.  I love this lady.  Evaluate your life & see if there are areas where you can just "redecorate" to find a new perspective.  Sometimes that makes all the difference.