A Room A Day #4

4. The Dining Room

I should mention that this floor plan was made in paint several months ago. Nothing is perfectly accurate, for instance the dining room is not nearly as large in comparison to the other rooms. The dining room has gone through several transitions in the past twenty years. I remember being very young and the dining room having a large quilt that my grandmother (paternal) made where the photo of me is now hanging. There was a large curio or china cabinet on the wall where a deep freezer is now. I was often scolded for snooping in it.

 I remember the many years that we had elderly family members living with us when I was very young, and everyone sat at the dining room table for everything from weekend lunches, to nightly dinners, to holidays. Once every few years, all the furniture was pushed into the living room and my mother would sand and refinish the hardwood floor on her hands and knees. She was so proud when she would finish the job and step back to her work. When I started blogging, I went home and photographed what I saw. As you can see, the closet is so full the door will not shut, and the table and chairs are so covered they are hard to discern. Much of the stuff is trash, Tupperware, and unused home appliances.

 The next time I went home, I noticed the dining room had been cleaned up and I was very hopeful. Notice several items still appear between the two pictures (red wok, a selection of wine and plastic bottles, bags of trash, tub of decorations). I was about to congratulate my mom on her progress in the dining room, when I looked in the living room and saw that 90% of what was on the table before, was now in the living room. My mom is often discouraged because it feels like all she does is move stuff around. My immediate reaction is "YOU ARE." But I know how she feels, I felt that way my entire childhood every time I was told to clean my room. Not only did I wonder why I had to clean when no one else did, but I remember actually asking where I was expected to put everything. Of course, I learned quickly that those questions earned me either a spanking with the wooden spoon, or I would lose my stereo or books or not get the clothes or toys I wanted in the near future.

I still have issues with taking the time to hang things up immediately after taking them off or out of the dryer. In fact, right now I have a stack of about fifteen pieces of clothing draped over a Rubbermaid drawer tower in my closet. When my boyfriend goes for the laundry basket or something, clothes usually slide off onto the floor and I know it's frustrating for him. But, now I've called myself out on it and I'm going to address it straight away. I encourage you to remember that thing you've been putting off and go do it. Don't just move it around, fix it, finish it, do it.