Decor-Blog.com

Sometimes, it seems that many adults o fall into one category or the other when it comes to their efforts and use of free time.

Take summer, for instance-my husband rises even earlier than usual to water his garden and flowers. It would take a great deal of inspiration for me to crawl out of bed at 6 am if I did not need to, especially to stand and hold a hose. He spends countless hours in the yard growing what is available right down the street at the grocery store, and spends ridiculous amounts of money trying to enhance that which is already green. I cannot understand this. In our front yard, he spaces the flowers the same distance apart, using just the right soil ingredients, then encompasses it all within a deer fence so the results aren’t eaten. (Tomatoes still disappear nightly, but the way I see it, animals have to eat, too.) His herb garden is equally measured into sections, all neatly labeled with the specimen in progress. The yard itself is not landscaped with a retaining wall, flagstone path, fountain, bridge, pool, or any other “décor” item, but to him, it’s beautiful.

Who knows why some like fixing up their outsides and others don’t? Some people dream of having a huge yard to landscape, but I dream of moving back to a townhouse where even mowing isn’t necessary. I hate to admit it because you green thumb people will judge me negatively, but I couldn’t care less about what happens in my yard. If company is coming and I think we’ll be sitting outside, I’ll clean the furniture and sweep, and perhaps buy a pot of flowers, but that’s the extent of my time or energy.

When others rave about their excitement in watching handiwork bloom and ripen, I do feel that I’m missing an elemental joy, but it still doesn’t motivate me to start digging. People like me prefer to putter around inside. We fill our time with pursuits involving electricity while the former types prefer hobbies that take place in the great outdoors. I think that it’s ironic that men who spend hours in the heat-such as fishing and golfing-can’t stand to be without air conditioning when indoors. This is not saying that people like me spend all of their time inside when the weather beckons; it’s implying that, given a choice, we’d opt to spend energies on activities which are easier done within the comforts of four walls, soft chairs, and conveniences close at hand. We simply like to have our materials close at hand so that we can come up with our wonderful and creative results without having to fight the elements.

The focus on today’s article is that to not feel inadequate if you're surrounded by people who constitute whatever type of decorator you are not. The world needs both. A desire to work in the hot sun or humidity, getting fertilizer on one's hands and weed killer on one's feet, amounts to something. Strangers driving along (like me) often point and exclaim how pretty the landscaping and flowers look. Such efforts have the ability to brighten an entire street. Perhaps the inside of such a person's house doesn’t have the most conducive walkways, seating arrangements, or room “flow”, but residents probably sit outside on most warm evenings, anyway. Those of us who like to live inside are equally comfortable entertaining in a room that we’ve spent many hours rearranging and are just as happy gazing upon our results. Both of our “surroundings” could be considered temporary, and both take some amount of work. Both can also be the source of pride and achievement.

I thank those who give the world more beauty through their efforts in their yards and flower beds. I appreciate your improving on Mother Nature and admire your patience. It’s good that you can do something for at least part of the year that you enjoy and find fulfilling. But as for me, I decorate the inside of my house-and perhaps the front door. It may not be all I am physically capable of doing, but right now, I’ve enough to keep me very busy inside.