This is my altar, my place to sit and relax, meditate and be thankful. In fact, I often sit on the couch across from this area and gaze upon this scene. It brings a smile to my face every time.
The magazines on the bottom of the bakers rack include an Ikea catalog. I can thumb through it and get ideas for pieces of furniture I’d like. Then I can visit local, small town shops to find it! The books are a journal, a workbook and my latest book I’m reading. There’s power in handwriting your thoughts. There’s also escape in a good book, a way to travel without leaving and a place to imagine yourself. The dishes are beautiful and remind me to be mindful when I’m eating. Is the food sustaining me? Am I eating or reading or doing something else? I’m practicing eating and paying attention to the food that is going into my body.
On the shelf above is a bouquet of beautiful flowers sitting in a vase filled with rocks and shells from the ocean. There’s a lamp that has flowers on it, a series of lights inside glass set into a striking piece of wood. I have a container with the map of the world on top of it there as well. This makes me think of one of my favorite places – the ocean anywhere! On the top shelf is a piece of art made from an old door part with beautiful flowers.
The painting says Keep Calm and Think Beach, my friend Lisa made it for me. The small picture was a find at a thrift shop and is an old Monet copy of people at the beach. The chair was given to me by my friend JoAnn and is very comfortable. The other big picture is boats in a harbor. As you can tell, I’ve surrounded myself in my little cottage with a beachy theme. It makes me happy.
This space in my house brings me joy, it’s hard to be sad here. It reminds me that I have much to be thankful for. It soothes my soul.
Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours, may you be happy today, well fed and loved.