The Threads
“We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone… and whatever happens is the result of the whole world tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of the individual threads from one to another that creates something.”
A very dear friend old mine called to share some amazing news about an exciting opportunity coming his way. As he was talking, I was thinking about his life as a poor boy in Colombia surrounded by the destruction of drug lords, his struggles to pay for his education in London, a major career change during a recession and his determination to build careers for artists that he believes in. All of this has come full circle to his life’s work, where a passion for social justice and art intersect. I asked if he had ever paused to reflect how all those seemingly disparate threads of his life story have come together to sew the businessman, husband, father; passionate human being and wonderful friend that he has become. He said he had not.
All of us have a story woven from fibers that came from many different places. These threads make u the way we see the world and what we choose to wrap ourselves in. But how many of us take the time to look at those individual threads , shuttling back and forth on our looms, to see what we are creating? If we did, would we see something we’d love to blanket ourselves in? Or would we see a jumbled mess of tangles, knots and holes?
As an interior designer, I see how these threads manifest in the homes and physical space that surrounds us. I get to be an impartial observer who can spot where snags have caused problems that run through the home and bleed into other areas of life. These snags can look like clutter, lack of organization, poor layout or the inability to connect to an aesthetic that our souls recognize. These problems block the vital flow of energy to the beauty, balance and well-being that is essential to us to thrive.
Before something new can be woven we need to untangle the threads that have gotten so damaged. Where have they come from? Sometimes a house is full of casts offs, dumped on you by others. Maybe it’s the closets, attics and basements full of inherited things you don’t like, but feel too guilty getting rid of. Or perhaps it’s just the drag of outdated rooms, created in a different life and time, that no longer reflect who you are right now.
Taking the time to sit in our homes and take stock gives us clues to the things that do and do not serve us anymore. This knowledge fuels the courage needed to finally release the un-wanted, un-loved, and un-needed from our homes and our lives to make space for something new and exciting to take its place.
This exercise, done periodically to re-calibrate and re-balance our physical homes, is the same set of skills that can help us reflect on the bigger picture of our lives. It’s a way for us to come full circle and see the threads on our very own looms.
