Learning and stuff

                                              Just one of the many meals we ate on the back porch after a long day of reno-ing.

You learn a lot about yourself when you’re renovating. 

You learn how to do a lot of things that you should probably already know how to do as an adult, in adult life, when you're adulating all the time. 

You learn how to do budget stuff (because those light fixtures are cute but you really need a toilet, so...…) 

You learn that drywalling is not something you just “throw up” one day to create a cohesive third bedroom. 

You learn that laying down floors is not a one day job.

You learn that contractoring (my made up word for what contractors do) isn’t your calling in life, and that my friends, is a really valuable lesson!

Also, you learn that after a while “It has to be perfect” turns into “Just make it fit, damnit!” and yes, at this point in the renovation, you're swearing.  That’s something else you learn about yourself.  It’s just where you're at. 

Most of all though you learn that the next time you make plans to “Just spruce it up” you dang well better have the number of someone who knows what they're doing and a healthy contingency.

Among these many valuable life lessons, I’ve also learned something I never really knew about myself.  I learned that I like to pay other people to do my stuff for me.  Is that the worst of me?  Seriously though!  I want that pipe coming out of the wall and into my sink to be there, and I want it to be functional, and I want it to be pretty, I just don’t want to put it there myself.  (of course I’m not doing the plumbing, my husband is- with the help of a friend who is an actual plumber- but it’s really hard to watch, guys!) 

I don't want to be one of those people who doesn’t want to roll up their sleeves and get the work done, DIY style.  I definitely see the value in doing something yourself.  There is satisfaction in seeing the fruits of your labors.  I don’t want to sound like a snob.  I’m not a bad person.  I’m really not!  I just... I can’t.

Now, before you start to get a leg up on that high horse, ask yourself this:  What responsibilities do I have, that if I could pay someone to do for me, I would?  Be honest with yourself now, would you? 

Heck yes you would!  Because you aren’t crazy.  Well, maybe you are, but it’s the good kind of crazy that people like to be around. 

And I totally get the principle of the DIY.  I really do!  It’s like most things in life, sometimes you have to do it even though you don’t want to.  (Maybe that's not the intended principle of the DIY, but it feels like it's just a punishment for being poor.) That’s just how it is sometimes.  Sure I wanna pay someone to lay my floors.  But I can’t.  Because I’m not a gazillionaire.  I’m not even a something-aire.  By golly though, someday I’m going to pay someone to do the stuff I don’t want to do.  That’s how I’ll know I’ve made it in life.  Great kids who turned into great humans?  Nah.  Have enough contingency to pay someone to tile for me?  Made it! 

(*Insert guilt/shame spiral here for even joking that my kids aren’t more important to me than having enough money to pay someone to do the dirty work for me, and make a mental note to set money aside for therapy.  Kids and me.  Just one more thing to pay for.) 

Now, maybe someday, I’ll come on here and tell you it was all totally worth it, and I suddenly realized I love painting and that installing floors is my favorite.  Seems unlikely, but you never know.  The one thing I will tell you, is that being in a place that is ours, with all of my people gathered around me and getting to experience all of our moments in a place we can call home, is amazing.  And for that reason, I love everything about it.  We our creating our family history here, and that’s the greatest.  I feel an indescribable amount of gratitude for being here.  Through this process, I have learned that gifts are given in ways that you never even really knew you wanted, like maybe making memories you never knew you were looking to make.  And when those moments come… you just learn to be thankful you get to experience it.   

That’s about all I have to say about renovating.  Except also, it’s literally the worst.  Lit-er-all-y. In case that wasn’t clear.  So, keep that tucked in your back pocket for the day you decide to renovate, and then don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

Whatever you decide, may all of your life lessons be learned in a less painful way than mine have been.