The Weirdness of Being Here
Don't get me wrong, I love being home, back in the States, seeing my Mom and my beautiful house and my Target.
But having two residences, one that has less than half of our things in it (it's half empty), isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
There's an odd feeling of being in a half-finished house and thinking a sofa should be somewhere, when it's not there. Like a phantom limb.
Also, my favorite homebody pastimes are rearranging furniture, books, display items. Also decluttering and optimizing a space or a storage. Tasks that are not really doable or much less rewarding in a house with half the furniture.
For example, I can't declutter a book shelf, when all the other bookshelves are in Paris. I can't move furniture in my dining room around when there's only a table and some chairs in there. Etc.
Sure, I've had some fun with arranging holiday decorations, but it's not the same. And I'm only here for two weeks, so it's not like I'm going to pick up a construction or painting project (no matter how much I'd like to).
In place of doing any arranging, I find myself staring into different spaces and imaging what could be. Thinking of what's in Paris, what's coming back with us, what's going where. What I'm going to need space for. What I can get rid of. What I'll need to construct. What I want to paint. What color. I stare and ponder, then I take pictures and add measurements. And then look at furniture and tile ideas online.
Or, sometimes I just get overwhelmed and I play solitaire on my phone to calm my brain.
In days we'll be back in Paris, rolling along on our normal day-to-day schedule, but a small part of my brain will be back here, pondering what the house will look like when we eventually move back.
But having two residences, one that has less than half of our things in it (it's half empty), isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
There's an odd feeling of being in a half-finished house and thinking a sofa should be somewhere, when it's not there. Like a phantom limb.
Also, my favorite homebody pastimes are rearranging furniture, books, display items. Also decluttering and optimizing a space or a storage. Tasks that are not really doable or much less rewarding in a house with half the furniture.For example, I can't declutter a book shelf, when all the other bookshelves are in Paris. I can't move furniture in my dining room around when there's only a table and some chairs in there. Etc.
Sure, I've had some fun with arranging holiday decorations, but it's not the same. And I'm only here for two weeks, so it's not like I'm going to pick up a construction or painting project (no matter how much I'd like to).
In place of doing any arranging, I find myself staring into different spaces and imaging what could be. Thinking of what's in Paris, what's coming back with us, what's going where. What I'm going to need space for. What I can get rid of. What I'll need to construct. What I want to paint. What color. I stare and ponder, then I take pictures and add measurements. And then look at furniture and tile ideas online.
Or, sometimes I just get overwhelmed and I play solitaire on my phone to calm my brain.
In days we'll be back in Paris, rolling along on our normal day-to-day schedule, but a small part of my brain will be back here, pondering what the house will look like when we eventually move back.
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