Tonight I was looking back on photos from Olivia’s first month of life. When I look at old photos, I love to investigate the background. Looking at the photos, I noticed how much our home has changed in just a year. Different furniture, rearranged rooms, small updates here and there… I also had the thought, what a mess! Then I remembered that was a season of survival: eating and sleeping were our priority. There are a lot of seasons in life. Seasons the house is immaculate and seasons it’s not.
A living room peppered in newborn gear, is now sprinkled in toddler toys. Most times, after Olivia has gone to sleep, I contemplate picking up our messy living room or just taking a bath and going to bed. This isn’t what the house looked like a year ago, 2 years ago or 5 years ago, when I first moved in alone.
The house has changed as our lives have changed. I once used an entire bedroom as my “getting ready room.” Now, I have a small corner in our bedroom that I use to “get ready” (varies from full make-up & hair to, maybe I brush my hair today…)
I love the shifting and changing of our home. A small home means you’re almost always transitioning your space, making it more practical and functional. A small home means you’re in closer quarters with the ones you love. A small home has a fullness to it. Sometimes that fullness feels chaotic and crammed. Other-times, it’s cozy and comforting.
What I was reminded by tonight is that even if the house is a mess: take the photo. Tonight I revisited the memories of the early days of nursing, when my Essentia cup was always filled and placed next to the couch. I revisited the memory of a record player we once dragged off the curb during garbage week and used partially as a dining room table (the top flipped down.) I recalled small details that may have otherwise been forgotten or thought to be insignificant. I wonder what the pieces are in our life now, that in a year from now, will look much different. How will our mess change? How will our small home adapt to two littles and not just one? What stories lie in the pictures we took today?
Embrace the mess. Embrace the chaos. Take the photo.