Taking My Own Sweet Time

Last night, after coming back from an impromptu visit with my friends April and Jim in Glendale, Rusty and I  returned to my heat retaining one bedroom apartment with little desire to do anything but sleep. Something, however, took hold of me at one o'clock in the morning.

I ventured into my beautiful, newly painted bathroom with the impulse to finally install my "IKEA" purchased circular mirror. It has been two weeks, I think, since my IKEA shopping adventure. I've been stretching out my joy.  Last week, I installed the new towel rack and then just sat with it. I am not exactly "Mr. Fix it" so slow and steady has been keeping everything on an enjoyable level.

I began my late night adventure with a bit of a shock. Upon opening the packed mirror I soon discovered it did not come with any screws and little to no instructions! I miraculously found four screws in my junk drawer that worked magic. Actually they were the screws from the old mirror now residing in the back of  my hall closet but why quibble over details? After initially putting in the brackets upside down, I finally got things up and running. Only one problem... I hung it too low.

Instead of getting irritated which has been my usual default state in such situations, I just laughed. A few additional holes later and voila! I had my fabulous new mirror up, at the right height and looking good! My excess holes in the wall were either covered by the mirror or received a quick dab of my remaining Valspar "Morning Marigold" paint which, like magic, rendered my errors in measurement invisible.

Rusty's Inner Thoughts: "What a SCHMUCK!"

Yes, it took me until four in the morning but I felt so proud. Rusty woke up periodically to stare at me, as he often does, as if I am a complete idiot for working like a madman when I could have been sleeping.

What can I say? When I get an idea in my head, I need to act on it immediately. When I hear the call of my Inner Voice, I must act.:)

The bathroom is finally taking shape.

With yet another sudden burst of inspiration, I pulled from my closet a five foot tall wrought iron, three prone candle stand. It was a gift from a friend that I received a long time ago. It is quite beautiful but I never knew what to do with the thing. I dusted it off and now it looks as if it always belonged in my bathroom. I just never noticed.

Afterwards I dug deeper into my over-stuffed closet to find an Aztec mask. Yes... an Aztec mask.  I bought it on my first ever real adult vacation. I went with a female friend to Cancun a few years ago. I saw so many of the breath-taking Aztec Ruins in the area, I naturally wanted to return with something to remember the experience. Like the candle stand, I never found the right place for this beautiful object.  Like divine intervention, it called out to be hung in the space on the wall it now calls home. When I light the candles on my rediscovered candle stand and turn out the lights, it gives the Aztec mask an air of mystery and the bathroom a sense of character.

I'm loving it!

I feel a trailing type plant may be in the room's future but I will marinate on what plant that will be for a while. I sense the right plant will find its way to me.

Ordinarily, one would think I am spending way too much time on this small room when there are so many rooms remaining in what now seems like a tragically bland condition. Yeah, that may be true but there is something immeasurably satisfying in taking my own sweet time. It has the same feeling I have when I am playing around with clay or drawing a picture or reading a book I love.


I am totally understanding the meaning of the phrase "it is not about the destination, it's the journey that matters."