Truth.
My life has been pretty busy the last few years.
We moved to another state to start a creative church from scratch, and this weekend we are launching a concert house. Yawn. Not much goes on around here.
So what would life be like without a little bit of crazy-eyed insanity mixed in? I don’t know, but I’d like to find out someday.
Meanwhile, along with the crazy, I need some organization. With everything we’ve had going on, getting organized hasn’t been a priority. It’s a catch-22: we’re just trying to make it through each day, juggling all the balls and trying not to drop too many.
Because January is the season for fresh starts, I decided I needed an organization intervention. Also, people have started looking at us like maybe we really are disorganized. Meh.
One thing that sometimes keeps me from organizing is having grand ideas of what “organized” should look like. I’ve dreamed about command centers forever. I’ve been plotting to reorganize and makeover my office, and I plan to get to that in the coming weeks. I also dream about big mudrooms and giant back halls when in reality we have tiny halls and a small laundry room. Blast.
In my mind, all organization ideas look perfect, pretty, and finished — you know, like the Pinterest version of everything.
Or like The House of Smiths’ version — gorgeous and perfectly styled.
That’s pretty much why I don’t have my command center yet. I want to make something like that. I want a door like that too, while I’m at it. Pretty as a picture.
I want a before and a perfect AFTER. Now.
But I don’t have the perfect space or enough time right now for a Pinterest-worthy command center. There are other beautifying projects ahead of this one. My husband helps when he can, but he’s not a fan of staying up past his bedtime for DIY projects. Sometimes my busy schedule and big dreams derail plans before they even get started. We sit stalled and disorganized, unable to move forward. Still, I know this is important and the time has come to act.
This week I went to Costco for groceries because, you know, my family gets hungry (the nerve!), and on my way to buy spinach I spotted THIS.
HELLO GIANT FOUR-FOOT MAGNETIC CHALKBOARD!
Behold: the start of Command Central at my house.
Was it exactly what I pictured? No.
Was it functional for what I needed? Yes. I prefer the smooth writing surface to chalkboard paint.
Could I paint the frame or add organizational items around it? Of course.
Did it come with a giant mudroom? Nope.
Was there a better solution? Maybe, but sometimes you just have to START somewhere or you’ll never start at all.
Was it the deal of the century? Not really.
Was it a time-saver? Absolutely.
After wrestling with options in the aisle, I decided DONE would be good enough this time. I’m on a mission to make our home work better for us, and nothing is going to stop me.
I yanked the box out of its display, awkwardly balanced it on my small cart (this chalkboard is HUGE — four feet across and three feet tall), and steered past books and a few unsuspecting shoppers to the checkout. Oops! I left without the spinach because I was afraid of dropping the box. Home goals trump eating, apparently.
What I Wore to Costco
{Don’t you think that would be an awesome link-up party?}
While Pinterest is amazing for dreaming up ideas, sometimes good-enough solutions are found at Costco when you’re wearing jeans and Chucks instead of the cute ruffled coat and polka-dot shoes all the Instagram moms wear.
Anyhoo…this is my real life. Not overly Pinterest-worthy. I’m coming to terms with having a Costco-inspired life sometimes.
In my real life:
I’m okay that my command center lives in the tiny hall by my kitchen for now instead of a perfect spot.
I don’t have a stenciled wall ready to make it super cute.
I don’t have perfectly taped gridlines for my calendars. I can wait.
I’ve made peace with not having the cutest magnets to clip papers — what I have works fine.
I’m okay with the imperfect lighting in the photo I took at 10 PM last night.
I’m content to be somewhere between the BEFORE and the AFTER.
The important thing is: I finally have a command center and we can feel a little less crazy now. I’m good with that.
Carry on. Maybe next time I show this it will have stenciled walls. Ha. Probably not.
So what is holding you back from getting organized?
If you struggle with discontentment or need courage to focus on what really matters, I found an honest, real post about inspiration versus discontentment helpful — and it was sweet that she mentioned me.