Being at home
What makes a cosy (hygellig for you Scandis), comfortable home to come back to every day?
When I first moved to Singapore, I was anti-attachment all the way. I refused to buy anything that didn't add real purpose to my life - especially if it didn't fit into a box on the way to my new destination.
I changed my tune a bit when I moved over here to Queen Street, opting for traditional Ikea furniture that would last at least a year - so that when I left in a year, I could sell it off, optimising my cash flow like the truly efficient person I am.
People would come to my house six months after I moved in and literally go, "it looks like an Ikea showroom in here!" This left me feeling partially proud of my keen sense of cleanliness, but also partially sad that it was so apparent that I hadn't really "moved" in yet.
And I guess I hadn't physically moved much in, but it was more clear that I definitely hadn't mentally moved into my space.
I have always been the epitome of a "what if" person, prepared for anything. I can't remember a time when I didn't keep a back up tube of toothpaste in the event that I may run out! Nevermind the fact that there's a 7-11 within 100m of my apartment - I just always have to be prepared.
For a long time, this left me with no sense of balance. Wherever I would move, whatever I would do, left me with a stinging lack of fulfilment as I was never truly able to enjoy and live in the moment. It was holding me back in almost every area of my life, this idea, this need to be prepared and ready for whatever was going to happen next.
A few months ago, just before Chinese New Year, I decided enough was enough - bought a feng shui book and totally rearranged my apartment (well, umm, yea Damien moved around his fair share of furniture too...). I left a clear space in the entryway free and got rid of any electronics extra stuff in my bedroom (come on, how many of us lie in bed to use our computers - it is a really bad habit!).
This one clean sweep paved the way for what was to come in the next few months. My newfound awareness for how I wanted to utilise my space, understanding that efficient doesn't necessarily mean "clean", but how well I was using my space, led me to achieve greater awareness in my personal life as well. And slowly, I was able to start accumulating things in my apartment that had meaning (displaying pictures, cards, old paintings). I began to lose the feeling of worry about what would happen in the future and began to enjoy what I had in the present moment.
I think part of what was holding me back before is that I actually have stayed in Singapore longer than I initially thought I would; and that idea of not doing what I had set my mind out to (i.e. moving to a new country after living here), was a bit of a failure to myself. By allowing myself the luxury of feeling at home here, I no longer feel that sense of urgency to keep moving on, and am able to understand that I have a greater purpose and potential to fulfil while I am here. Don't confuse this with the typical label of, "it was meant to happen this way," because I don't believe that things 'happen' to me. It is more of a conscious effort to set more goals for myself.
So back to the idea of home. This thought is spurred on today because it is an absolutely beautiful Friday afternoon here on Queen Street. Not humid at all, but a crisp, warm day with a great breeze. The reason I am enjoying it so much is because I am lucky enough to be able to do my work from home if I choose.
I recently built myself my own home office (thank you Isabel for the most recent addition to it!) and am happier than ever to have my own 'nook' to settle into when it's time to do work, send personal emails or catch up on my favourite activity: scanning! Who needs that old paper, anyway?
Being surrounded by my favourite photos and keepsakes is really a blessing, and never fails to get my creative juices flowing.
Just a few steps away, Tangie loves to stretch himself out on the balcony and enjoy the nice afternoon sun. Something he can't do when I am working from the office. It's important to feel like your home is not only comfortable to you, but to the people (or cats) you share it with - by respecting your own comfort level and living in a way that makes you happy, you are in fact creating the space to allow more positive people into your life. The space you create, just like the way you act towards others, is a physical manifestation of yourself. So get happy now and start enjoying your space!
I changed my tune a bit when I moved over here to Queen Street, opting for traditional Ikea furniture that would last at least a year - so that when I left in a year, I could sell it off, optimising my cash flow like the truly efficient person I am.
People would come to my house six months after I moved in and literally go, "it looks like an Ikea showroom in here!" This left me feeling partially proud of my keen sense of cleanliness, but also partially sad that it was so apparent that I hadn't really "moved" in yet.
And I guess I hadn't physically moved much in, but it was more clear that I definitely hadn't mentally moved into my space.
I have always been the epitome of a "what if" person, prepared for anything. I can't remember a time when I didn't keep a back up tube of toothpaste in the event that I may run out! Nevermind the fact that there's a 7-11 within 100m of my apartment - I just always have to be prepared.
For a long time, this left me with no sense of balance. Wherever I would move, whatever I would do, left me with a stinging lack of fulfilment as I was never truly able to enjoy and live in the moment. It was holding me back in almost every area of my life, this idea, this need to be prepared and ready for whatever was going to happen next.
This one clean sweep paved the way for what was to come in the next few months. My newfound awareness for how I wanted to utilise my space, understanding that efficient doesn't necessarily mean "clean", but how well I was using my space, led me to achieve greater awareness in my personal life as well. And slowly, I was able to start accumulating things in my apartment that had meaning (displaying pictures, cards, old paintings). I began to lose the feeling of worry about what would happen in the future and began to enjoy what I had in the present moment.
I think part of what was holding me back before is that I actually have stayed in Singapore longer than I initially thought I would; and that idea of not doing what I had set my mind out to (i.e. moving to a new country after living here), was a bit of a failure to myself. By allowing myself the luxury of feeling at home here, I no longer feel that sense of urgency to keep moving on, and am able to understand that I have a greater purpose and potential to fulfil while I am here. Don't confuse this with the typical label of, "it was meant to happen this way," because I don't believe that things 'happen' to me. It is more of a conscious effort to set more goals for myself.
Being surrounded by my favourite photos and keepsakes is really a blessing, and never fails to get my creative juices flowing.
Just a few steps away, Tangie loves to stretch himself out on the balcony and enjoy the nice afternoon sun. Something he can't do when I am working from the office. It's important to feel like your home is not only comfortable to you, but to the people (or cats) you share it with - by respecting your own comfort level and living in a way that makes you happy, you are in fact creating the space to allow more positive people into your life. The space you create, just like the way you act towards others, is a physical manifestation of yourself. So get happy now and start enjoying your space!Happy Deepavali weekend!
Labels: Happily Organized
posted by Unknown @ 3:53 PM
1 Comments:
At April 13, 2010 at 8:16 AM ,
Yasmine said...
Thats fantastic, This year I felt enough of saying I will be here a year, lets make it a home for a while and training for this race is a big factor..
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