Antidote for the January blues

I’ve discovered a new trick to get over the formidable black hole of January: a decorating project.

For years I’ve been longing for an accent wall in our living room. Last weekend, Middle Sister (unaware of my secret desire for a splash of color), said – quite out of the blue – “How about if we paint the entryway and the wall behind the bookshelf red?”

There was a tiny bit of prompting. The bulletin boards I’d made for each child, which had hung in the entryway for 15 years, were bringing me down. Cluttered with paper and push pins, they were simply an eyesore. So I’d asked each of them, before Oldest went back to school, to take everything down so that the bulletin boards could be removed and perhaps some interesting art put in their place.

Of course, it wasn’t until the three bulletin boards were at the end of the driveway awaiting the trash truck that I felt remorse. Those cork boards had held “minutes of reading” and “minutes of classical music listening” charts. Individual schedules that told me at a glance who needed to return their library book and who needed gym shoes on any given day. Notices of rehearsals, auditions, and performance dates. Student driving hour records. College application and scholarship information. A history of our family life on three decorated boards.

But it’s time to move on. The red is up, and I love it. Some wall decor has been purchased. A trip to IKEA next week will result in the system of hooks and baskets we’ll install for coats and purses.

It’s the perfect prescription for surviving the nastiest month of the year. Can’t wait to see the final product, and to see what next January’s project will be!

 

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