Courage to Make Changes...and the Color of Paint

Change doesn’t come easy.
Sometimes we fight it, even when we desperately want it.

Each New Year's Eve, many people make a resolution to change something in their lives. Their resolutions may include losing weight, getting their finances in order, or spending less time at their jobs.

In November I wrote about the new addition / remodel that was being done on our house. For six months we lived in chaos and dust. At times it felt like it would never be finished. But the week before Christmas, with the exception of a few odds and ends, things were wrapped up and we were able to move into the new space.

I had a vision of what I wanted it to look and feel like. For months we purchased new furniture as we could and collected items to be incorporated into the decorating. Everything came together beautifully.

Except for the paint color…

Do you know how difficult it is to pick the right shade from a little square sample? Even when I’ve painted a small section, it never looks the same as when a large room is covered with the color.

The day I came home from work and saw the color I’d picked out for the walls, my mouth dropped. The color was far more yellow - and far brighter than I'd expected it to be. Not only was the family room/ kitchen painted that shade, I’d asked the painters to cover selected accent walls in the front room (which has high faulted ceilings) and formal dining area so the color scheme in those rooms would blend with the others.

The contractor and my husband asked me to live with it for a little while to see how I felt about it after we moved everything in. So I agreed…

Two weeks later…I was still struggling with the paint color. I tried to be content with it. I really did. But, it just wasn’t right.

My husband remained patient as I agonized over whether to change the color. After all, we’d already paid the painters to do it once. To redo it wouldn’t come cheap.

I could have repainted the walls myself and saved money, but what would take the professionals one day, would have taken me several weeks. There was also that high wall to contend with.

We’d already put everything in place and were finally able to relax and enjoy the space. To change the color would mean going back to living in chaos for a few days…and we were both so tired of living in a mess.

My husband supported my final decision and once again the painters were called in. I felt better when the painter told me he’d worked with professional interior decorators who’d changed their minds and asked him to repaint walls over several times.

Yesterday, I could barely stand to stay at my job, wondering what the outcome would be. At the end of the day I came home to walls painted with a warm, soft, shade of gold. It worked!

Making other changes in our lives can be far more difficult than changing the paint color in a home. But, if we’re willing to take the step, it can be so worth it.

Hoping to always have enough courage to make changes.
Dawn