These girls’ voices are so soulful.
(Source: larepublicadedet, via apsies)
“You don’t have to encourage it, or welcome it, but you better learn to suck it up from time to time. We have mythologized love to such an extent that people are no longer prepared for the realities of long-term relationships. We are taught that it is good not to compromise, not to put up with anything we don’t like, not to sacrifice our own beliefs for anyone or anything. Yet compromise and sacrifice are the cornerstones of marital love.
No matter what way you dress it up, the best thing you can bring to a marriage is not the feeling of ‘being in love’, but romance’s poor relation: tolerance. Add to that enough maturity to be able to fulfil your own needs and you have some hope.
Sound pessimistic? It’s reality, not a welcome word in a culture addicted to fantasy. But here’s the good news: when the initial infatuation feeling fades and you do the real work of learning how to love and be loved, something infinitely richer and sustaining than flimsy infatuation flowers in the garden of your marriage. Over time, these plants grow roots that are sturdy and strong. They are nourished by soil that is well-worked as you’ve sat beside each other and yanked out the weeds of intolerance, impatience, frustration, and fear. It’s work that can and must be cultivated over a lifetime, and yet we expect to enter marriage with a perfect, rose-filled garden. Again, this is the fantasy that our culture propagates and throws many young people into despair when their fledging relationship fails to measure up to these unrealistic and damaging expectations.”
At 30 years and 4 months old, I feel I’m at the peak of a transformative stage in life. It’s dense. And concentrated. But I think it’s supposed to be. It feels like the cornerstones of my world are being tested all at once: family, marriage, health, career. The early 30s are a complex stage of life - so many priorities all deserving of the top spot, yet something has to give. I choose to believe that it’s all thrown at us at once because our minds and spirits benefit from the density. Does that make sense? Just as a child whose brain is sponge-like and can best learn multiple languages by being simultaneously exposed to a number of them, so too can we grow into our best selves by being tested in so many ways at once.
*turns out I’m not alone on this one. psychologist Daniel Levinson recognized a stage of life known as “The Age 30 Transition.”
girls’ beach day
I’m on the hunt for an area rug and am thinking I will design the room around the rug. This one is a dream. Now, to win the lottery…
Guest bed inspiration
The accent piece is a vintage suzani.
Framed fabric - art for the new office?
