resolutions - part two

So the second part of living a life of joy is sharing it with others. I truly want to be a gracious hostess, but I have issues. I'm afraid to let people into my home if it's less than perfect. The home I grew up in was model-home-pristine all the time, and even now if there's but a stray newspaper out on the table, I hear apologies for the "mess." My home is not a model home. I do not like to spend my free time cleaning and working to make it perfect. I would rather go to a movie with my husband, or spend time with our baby, or playing video games with friends, than to make sure that the floors are swept.

I also feel pressure as an Interior Designer, as though that means my home should look like a page from a designer magazine. It so doesn't. It looks like a 1941 home with a circa-1970s add-on. Sure, we've painted the wood panelling, but it's still wood panelling. The living room is filled with second hand furniture and inherited "art." I am about halfway done with two rooms, the kitchen and bath are a disaster, and the nursery is pretty much done.

But, none of that should matter when it comes to being a gracious hostess. It should be about welcome and warmth, about welcoming others into my Home. Letting them relax, and relaxing myself. Guests sense it when the host is uneasy, and when I spend my time fidgeting and fussing and apologizing and making excuses, it doesn't make for a pleasant visit.

So that's the second part. First, declutter and get organized, find a home for all the stuff. Second, relax and enjoy the company. Make my home a warm, open, welcoming place for all.

I'm still working on Part Three.