A place of your own

So much has happened in our home over the past four months. We have been living in a construction nightmare full of noise and drywall dust and paint fumes. We have had to cancel our ABA therapy or move it to other locations.

On top of all this, we were dealt some harsh news that my father is battling cancer for the fifth time. We all fear that this may be the last trip around the sun for him. This has been especially hard for Rex. He associates himself with Grampa so much. I think if Rex understood the concept, he would say that Grampa is his hero. 

All this to say that our life has been chaos for months. Luckily, last week,the construction teams finally finished up and we have our house back again. During all of this time, I have been making sure that everyone else is taken care of, and when this happens I tend to neglect myself. I've read so many other blogs and articles that talk about taking time for yourself. Get away for a cup of coffee, read a book, take a five minute meditation break, wake up before everyone else and go for a run. These are all great ideas, but for lots of reasons, they just don't work in our home. But there is something that does work for us. 

Our bedroom. The room I share with my husband. When our youngest first got sick, I made it a priority to keep that room clean and decluttered and peaceful. Well all that had been lost. We no longer had that sanctuary that we could escape to at the end of a crazy day. Our room was full of piles of things taken from other rooms of the house during construction. So last weekend, my husband and I got our sanctuary back. It's nothing fancy. No great window looking out to the mountains or a balcony overlooking a lake. No big sitting area with oversized chairs. It's not a magazine photo shoot, and we don't want that. We want a room that speaks to us. A place we can escape to after the boys go to bed. A place that feels safe when the rest of the world and sometimes even the rest of the house doesn't. We have what we need. See look? 

Nothing fancy, but it is ours, kitty cat included. It's where my husband and I snuggle and watch movies. Usually he watches and I sleep. It's where I read at night if I can keep my eyes open. It helps me find peace. 

So this is my challenge to you. Take back your bedroom. Take it back from your kids. Take it back from your laundry. Take it back from the clutter. Make it yours. Make it a room that makes you smile when you walk in and makes you feel happy. Whether you have special needs kids, or typical kids, or no kids, or dog kids or cat kids. Sometimes it's just impossible to escape your house. Sometimes life is full of chaos, so we all deserve one room that isn't.  So what are you waitng for? Go!

- R.D.