Looking out my office window

Living in Michigan means… Spending a lot of time shoving. (Why didn’t I move to Arizona when I had the chance?) But, I like shoving. It is a simple task, no questioning if it is done right and if gives you time to think. This time I got thinking about how I shovel.

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I grew up in the UP and we use to get tremendous amounts of snow. The snow banks at the edge of the streets, I swear, where over 10 feet high. (I was eight; everything was over 10 feet high) So, shoveling was something we got good at. Being the youngest I was lucky enough to get out of it a lot and play. When I did have to shovel it was always done sidewalk edge to edge and all the way to the concrete. I wanted to be the house that had a snow blower, or only had to do the single shovel run… but nope, side to side all the way down. Guess what my driveway looks like today; I shoveled that baby from edge to edge and all the way down to the blacktop. Doing it any other way feels like I’m short cutting myself. That’s the story I have written about how to shovel…

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This got me thinking about how many stories go on in our heads everyday guiding how we do activities, what we think about, controlling our likes and dislikes. As an interior designer I am lucky enough to work with people’s stories all the time. I get to hear them, learn about the outcome and see how they affect your day to day. Then my job is to create the stage for the stories to be acted on. Every story needs a place to shine even if it as little as how you like to store your baking pans / your bathroom towels or as big as how you want your home to look when entertaining.

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So, think about your life, why you do some of the things you do? Find the story behind the act. Understand yourself a little bit better.