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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

Awhile back my friend wanted help picking out some new furniture. They said they didn’t like how their living room looked and wanted to check out some new end tables and possibly even a couch. I’ve been to their house a few times, so I was familiar with the setup. We looked at photos online and would send each other ideas whenever we saw something that might work. This carried on for a few weeks with no real “I need to buy that one” moment.

The other day I was visiting and asked if we could play around with the layout. There was nothing wrong with the furniture my friend had, so replacing it felt unnecessary. What if we just moved the couch over here and the lamp to this corner? Hmmm, that doesn’t look right. What if we swap the chair with the couch — does that open it up a bit more? We slid and carried furniture for probably 15 minutes, hemming and hawing in between each relocation. Finally, we found a good combination.

With all the moving, there was a lot of sweeping and dusting to be done. It’s funny how your room looks clean until you move that big piece of furniture. I remember when the moving guys came to replace my refrigerator. I was mortified by what we discovered behind and underneath it. No amount of sweeping next to it was ever going to get all those cheerios that rolled off my toddlers’ highchair to live under the fridge. The piece had to be moved.

This entire situation brought two things to my mind.

First: I need to move my refrigerator and clean behind it. Also, my couch. Actually, there are quite a few items in my home that could benefit from a solid clean behind and underneath. Even though it can’t be seen in passing, doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s there. My floors could probably use a good mopping too,  and my windowsills need to be wiped down. I think I may have to show my children how to do some of this stuff. It’s summer break, they’re bored, right?

This situation also made me think about other times in my life where I just wanted to get the new thing, when in reality, I already had everything I needed. It’s easy to take things for granted, especially if others have something newer or seemingly nicer. How often have I daydreamed about a new car, job or house? If you look at which tabs are open on my computer, Realtor.com is always there. It’s fun to look at what others have but it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that what they have is better.

I love the expression, “The grass is greener where you water it.” I just talked about how I need to do a good deep clean of my house. I can guarantee that once some dust and stale popcorn is swept away, I’m going to enjoy my home more. I might even be compelled to rearrange a few items to freshen it up a bit. And if the caffeine is in full effect, I may even sand down and spray paint a shelf or table to really give my home a new look.

It’s both humbling and empowering to realize that I already have everything I need to be happy. I may just need to look at the situation differently, in order to feel good about it. Or perhaps I need to put in a little work to bring it back to its former glory. Or maybe, I just need to be grateful for all that I’m given and learn to love what I already have. 

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.