I decided that rather than fret about having to wait for mid-September and settling into new family routines, I could use this end of summer time to get my ducks in a row at home. All the jobs that I tell myself I’ll do “when it gets warm and I can have the doors open” never get done because as soon as it gets warm I can hardly bear to be in the house. We spend well over half a year shut in it and if I can be outside, I’m going to be. The downside of that is that by August, indoors looks like a disaster zone.
So following on from my “What if I loved autumn/winter…what would that look like?” process, my daughter and I took a trip to IKEA. We brought back a bargain rug and some cushion covers in the colours I mentioned before, and transformed the living room into somewhere warm and cosy. But that’s not all…
I’ve heard that for some people, a trip to IKEA is about shopping lists, measuring tapes, shopping trolleys, perhaps the odd impulse buy and that’s good. Not for us. For us it’s A Whole Thing.
There are rooms! Apartments! Pretend lives that you can try on and see how you feel! We spent a lot of time in the ones we liked, discussing future scenarios for ourselves; dreams, ambitions and the deep motivation to have what we were seeing and experiencing. I’m not ashamed to say we went round twice.
I’ve long been aware that in a parallel life I live in a tiny apartment in Tokyo, artfully designed for maximum efficiency and minimal clutter. I can also do this in IKEA Bristol and that makes me very happy.
What I hadn’t been aware of is that dark kitchens and office spaces make my whole body relax, even though I’ve spent decades declaring that black paint and furniture are for young men and - much like those young men - have no place in my life. Well they do now (just the furniture). A sleek kitchen full of black units, hidden equipment and soft underlighting does more for my nervous system than a whole webinar’s worth of breathwork. I could barely walk out I was so relaxed. Perhaps it’s actually the simulation of having enough money to live in that kitchen that did it, who knows? I just know I smiled a lot.
Meanwhile, my daughter - about to go to college for the next level of her education and very nervous about her choices, her future and justabouteverythingelsetoo - sat herself in a little home office nook, took a few breaths and declared,”I want this in my life. I need this.” and promptly made a decision about what might come next for her.
We decided that IKEA is the Best Life Coach Ever and that we need to make fortnightly trips so we stay motivated. Just to balance things out, we drove past our motorway exit to the next one so that we could stop at a (particularly low standard) motorway services for a Burger King Plant Burger. What can I tell you? I just love any kind of travel hub. These, my friends, are the memories my teenager will cherish (kidding, not kidding).
When we weren’t living it up in West Country beauty spots, we exercised. Well, we cleaned the kitchen floor. This floor gets swept and mopped regularly but once a year it requires hands, knees, elbow grease, hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush. It took us almost three hours and looks brand new. I moved unwanted furniture to a place in the garden where they will never be “out of sight, out of mind” and willl arrange for our local re/up-cycling team to take them away. I emptied drawers, shelves, tins and corners of “stuff”. I thoroughly confused the dogs. These were Stages 1 and 2 of Operation Kitchen, 3 and 4 are still to come.
So, getting shit done. That’s my end of August as I fit it in around my daily responsibilities. So much more to do before we have to close the doors and block the draughty gaps and start to wear thirteen sweaters and five pairs of socks.
Alongside the mundane and domestic there has been weird magic. Lots of it. Because doing housework and shopping doesn’t negate one’s connection to the Earth. Ever. But that’s a whole ‘nother post for a whole ‘nother mood. My dad, a wheelchair, and a cardiology team await…
Well. Clearly, I need another trip to IKEA with a new perspective. Loving the concept of its various "showrooms" being a try-this-life-on-for-size-and-by-the-way-get-insight-about-what-happens-next life-coaching exercise. Inspiring.
Love this concept so much….the trying on of pretend lives! Genius!! What a waste that I’ve only been looking at those IKEA rooms as yes/no’s for my boring life!