Lindsay Likes...The Color of My Bedroom

I'm a fast walker.  I usually eat breakfast in the car.  I'm often thinking about multiple things at one time.  Almost everyday I have some sort of a "to do" list.  I sometimes have trouble falling asleep.  I tend to be on the move.  You'll rarely find me at home on the couch.  Even when it seems there is little going on I end up busy doing something.  Bottom line- the things I do, I like to do well, and I like to do a lot of different things. But here and there I really love to slow down.  However, sometimes I have to be reminded to bring it down a notch, to calm down, to relax, to breathe, to let things go until tomorrow and to just be.

I know you're wondering what I'm talking about. How does any of this relate to my liking the color of my bedroom?  Let me try to explain.  Some years ago while celebrating my birthday in Austin I had the extreme privilege of getting a massage at the incredibly fabulous Lake Austin Spa.  That place is heaven, but that's another story.  Anyway, while waiting for my massage I sat in this perfectly serene room filled with comfy chairs, chilled water with lemon, beautiful books and a portrait worthy glow of light reflecting off the lake and the trees.  But the one detail of this great relaxing room that I was quickly drawn to was its color.  Both gentle and exquisite and soft and refreshing, the blue shade drew me in and captivated me.  I instantly felt at ease.  I wanted to create that same peaceful feeling at home. After a few phone calls I found the key to serenity-Benjamin Moore Summer Blue.

The other details of how my bedroom changed overnight from tan to summer blue I'll leave out, but let's just say I now have my own private quiet retreat.  I like the color of my bedroom because it invites me into a place I so often need to find.  A place where I can let all of the little things go and I can unwind. You see, I'm not one to live passively.  Even when it appears that I'm just sitting somewhere, I'm usually either intently listening or silently thinking.  Certainly I'm no genius, but my mind is the kind that doesn't like to rest.  Couple this wandering mind with the fact that I like to be on the move, and you start to see why I need some relaxation in my life. 

I like the summer blue color of my bedroom when it calls out to me, "Settle down!"  I like the way the walls look when I turn on only the lamp in my bedroom.  There's this indescribable energy and if I sit quietly I can hear the rippling waves of the ocean or even see the sky with its thick puffy clouds happily moving about.  The images, all shadows of blue, call out to me, "Stop thinking so much.  Stop doing so much."  Just be.  Believe me I can be happy this way.  I don't need to be always on the move, I just simply forget to slow down. 

When we think too much and do too much we start to forget the basics.  We make plans for things that are supposed to happen that never do.  We overlook things that are right in front of us.  We plan instead of react.  Sometimes each of us needs a little reminder to change our thoughts, to put insignificant things aside, to take a minute, an hour or a day and to live a bit slower.  For me, I need to remember to stop and to look at the serene walls in my bedroom.  Calm down.  Slow down.  Look around and see what's there. 

I like the color of my bedroom.