Today I am painting upstairs. It is an attic room with a 1/2 bath and a huge storage closet ( toys are stored there ... I think my kids will like seeing their old toys again some day ... maybe ... if they don't that's fine too.) The room upstairs, large, light filled, airy, was one of my favorite things about this house when we bought it ... uh, 20 years ago (I've lost count of how many times I have painted these walls). Yesterday I very gently began to pull the drop cloth up the stairs ... and a bucket of paint tumped over and spilt out on the stairs ... pretty much all over three stairs. Frustrating. I'll come back and do all the touch up at once ... just a little re-staining and re do on the chevrons. At least now I know that the contact paper will accept a coat of paint. Plan on putting poly on the steps and risers once I'm truly done with the whole project.
All three of my girls are asking for an upholstered head board. I am looking forward to those projects to tell the truth ... painting is so tedious!
Yesterday when I hopped over to the love language site I saw some thoughts there that I hadn't heard before. There were notes on the converse of love "feeling" which can develop around the same five preferred ways of receiving love. I don't think hate is the opposite of love as I use the word here ... I'm going to say these five "portals" for love may just as readily be "portals" for pain. For example, if I am fluent in physical touch as a love language (and I tend to be a touch-er ... I've just gotten to be someone who doesn't like to be touched over the years ... I think I am just a bit hypersensitive to being touched intentionally by strangers ... touch isn't casual to me ... wow, I sound a little weirder then I really am. Let's just say I have a bubble that I routinely reach out from, but I don't like people reaching in to. Yeah, that's it.) ... fluent in physical touch as a love language then I may be more vulnerable to being hurt with unwanted physical contact. Words of affirmation ... personally I am almost not bothered at all by unkind, mean, even harsh words. I tend to hear those as though the talker is having a bad day rather then some reflection on myself ... at the same time kind words, are nice, but ... I really care mostly about what I really think of my performance. I don't really need to hear "good job" I know when it's a good job, and when it's not quite there. So ... words don't penetrate to my soul like touch does. When I take these love language profiles physical touch and quality time always tie and always score high. To me time is the most valuable gift a person may give to another ... and the idea of working together because you actually want to is really important. I've noticed that I would rather be alone then coerce company or help. I don't like a lot of fussing when I'm trying to concentrate on a good job. Kids like to fuss about being asked to do chores. I would say that is where I have let my own children down the most. I think so ... all they have to do is fuss a little and I will say ... okay, I will do it myself. It's easy to get out of working with me ... suddenly, today as I thought about this love/pain language thing I realized that. If I am "teaching" them how to do it, I can easily tolerate the grouching ... if I think we are "working/being" together and they "don't want to" ... I'll cut 'em loose. I think after just about raising five kids my telomeres are fried. Grouching is words, and attitude, but for me I think I experience it as rejecting time together. Interesting. My kid, Three, was my hug buddy boy. Not seeing much of him has been a double whammy for me. It helps me to see that ... it "feels" unloving ... and it's not that at all. It's just a kid trying to grow up. That ... I can deal with.
Well, just rambling some here ...
I'm thinking about this stuff as I think about characters for a book, but it has been pretty eye-opening to see this.
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