Would you build your house the same way you’ve built your life? Could it last for years to come?

[Nanette Buchanan]

Would you build your house the same way you’ve built your life? Could it last for years to come?
I know that most of you would look at these two questions and answer, “Of course not!” We all would have someone with experience…….. a contractor, a plumber, an electrician. Someone who would have the knowledge and ability to utilize the proper equipment, and advise us of possible problems we may face. They would leave their card and reassure us they would only be a phone call away. Once completed we would move in and live happily ever after……..??

Well there are parts of our lives that we have built….for the answer to the questions…..read along, see if you agree. First we need a foundation, what we build on need be level…..no one wants to live on unstable land. As youth we’re given the first of everything by those who nurture and touch us, remember it takes a village. If we’ve learned anything over the years it has been that without stability in our lives we will always be leaning on something or someone. If we don’t take a stand …….well you know the rest. So yes, we need a strong foundation. Education, morals, values, and respect go a long way. We also need to understand and build on our strengths to maintain and sustain. We need to know when to be humble and when to stand up for ourselves…..a cemented foundation.

Let’s not make this life of ours a mansion, keeping it simple we know we need outer walls. Strong material to stand through the storms, the heat, and the wear and tear life has proven will meet us daily. The material you pick will be different depending on the road you’re building on. So in life you’ve got to have external protection. I’d like to think this is your support system. It can be made up of family, friends, your closest associates, business partners, etc. They must be able to weather the storms with you, for you, and they have to be standing on a solid foundation as well.

We’ll need a roof. Someone to watch over us…….yes, God or a Power above (based on your belief) must be a part of your life, just as you would want your faith, your belief, your God to be in your house. Most people have their new home blessed, bringing the spirit, the faith, into where they dwell. In our life, God must be there, over us, protecting our souls……as we look to heaven, the roof must be blessed from above.

I understand all of us don’t have the same desires, the same likes, dislikes; we want our lives to be independent and unique. So our landscape will reflect to others who we are, separate from our neighbors. We will paint, put up siding, build large, pave stones, etc… a show for others to take note of us being in the neighborhood. Well in life that’s your character. Who you display as you; what you do for a living, in your leisure, your originality, personality, your swagger. Now your reputation is what they will say when they see you. Let the grass grow too high, the paint peel, and in some towns you’ll get that citation telling you to get your house in order. I think you understand.

Some homes are one level, some two. Some with basements, attics, various sizes, rooms. This is again a choice. How far we go in our education, what job we choose, who we marry, how large of a family we will have. All of these determine how we handle the inside of our home, our life.

Carpet or no carpet…….I chose this to reflect on one thing. All homes have floors under the carpet. The carpet is beautiful when kept up. If you don’t take care of it, your home is devalued. You’ll pull up the carpet only to find it will take some work to get the floors back to their natural state. The carpet in our homes can be compared to our emotional state in our life. We have to be careful who we allow to walk on the carpet…..walk on our emotions. Wear us out……walking back and forth on that one nerve, wearing the carpet, our emotional state, thin. Make them take off their shoes……..they bring in the dirt of the life they live into your home, your life. Make them wipe their feet at the door……so when you reflect there is little to deal with before you are clean. Make them clean behind themselves…..their issues often have nothing to do with you. When our emotions become worn, we often devalue ourselves. We neglect to take care of ourselves. We don’t want to clean things up and loose the carpet because it is spotted, can’t be cleaned…….it needs to be replaced, pulled up, tossed. We have lost a part of ourselves with each thread of that carpet. The bare floor needs work; we may need to replace what makes us emotionally secure. We may need to buff the bare floor and bring out the natural luster we missed when we look deeply at our home, our life.

We’ve decorated………to our taste our life is beautiful we are blessed. We’ve put a lot of time into each room in our lives, our life needs to be comfortable, cozy, and where we want to be…..even if we are alone. Our house needs to be welcoming…..we need a door. Whether we attached stairs, a doorbell, a door knock or whatever for one to gain entrance, we have to let them in. Just as we wouldn’t invite everyone into our new home, we can’t afford to let everyone have a key. Our life, our home needs protection, externally (the door), internally (our hearts).

So again, I ask. Would you build your life like you would build your home? Could it last for years?