Hi Friends!!
Today we are celebrating Progress! And by celebrating I mean, embracing where we are at, right now in this very moment. I’m sure we are all on our journey with something. Am I right?! Maybe we are working towards a new goal, a new number on the scale, or getting back into routine. Or maybe you are working on some home projects just like I am right now? One thing I feel like doesn’t get mentioned or celebrated enough is progress. It’s so easy to get swept up in the before and after. I mean who doesn’t love a good before and after picture? I sure do! Whether it’s of an insane home makeover, or even a weight loss journey, the before and after leaves me in awe every time. But something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is it’s during the progress that the real work happens.
Let me tell you what I mean ~
I recently shared this progress shot of a view into our new living room, sharing that while it’s not quite finished yet, it’s so fun to see the progress that has taken place in making our new living room feel more like ours. And it got me thinking. How many times in my own life have I brushed aside or failed to acknowledge the progress I was making.
Living Room Before
I love Before & After photos, don’t you?
I love seeing the instant transformation, without having to do all the hard work in between. And while they are great to show for a quick reference of the transformation that has taken place, they can also leave us believing that all transformations can happen overnight. Take for instance a bathroom renovation. It has to get real ugly before we can even start the rebuilding process to achieve that beautiful “after” photo. I mean toilets and sinks have to be ripped out, and floors torn up, and sometimes walls removed in order to fix the problem areas that lie hidden behind them. It’s a real mess, but a necessary one in order to get the beautiful brand new bathroom in the end.
Living Room Progress
It makes me wonder what the progress in my own life would look like if I could tangibly see it like a bathroom renovation. Instead of trying to push through things and rush the process, would I take the time to allow things – relationships, hurts, and disappointments to be rebuilt first, before convincing myself that “I’m fine”. That famous phrase that my husband loves to call me out on any time I say it and say “Is it really though?”, “are you really fine”?
All of our living room furniture crammed into our dining room, while we redid the living room floors.
I wish that in life I could embrace the progress I’m making more, and accept where I’m at, just like I do with the rooms in my house. As I look around the rooms in our new house, I know that it takes time (and work) to get them to be where I want them to be. I look with optimism seeing how far we’ve come in setting things up, and hopeful because I see the vision and know the outcome of where things will be when I’m done. I don’t shame my rooms for not coming together fast enough, or being better, I give myself grace knowing that I’m making progress. I wish I could say the same for me sometimes.
That good, authentic, heart healing transformation takes time, and that I need to embrace where I am at.
As I have been thinking, and dwelling on Progress, and Embracing Where I’m at, I thought it funny that opening letter from the editor in the latest Magnolia Journal issue, Joanna G. touches on embracing progress. She goes on to say that “In a culture that tends to glorify endings and finish lines, it’s common to see the final product of something and not pay attention to how it came to be. But for our team the journey has been the most essential part. The edits, adjustments, sidesteps, the start overs that don’t always feel like progress, In the end it’s those stories that have defined how we grew”.
When friends have asked how the house is coming, I smile and say “Good”. Because it’s SO true. Yet, even though I know we have barely made a dent on it, and we aren’t even close to it being done – Progress is being made, and my heart enjoys the gently pace of taking things one step at a time, instead of rushing through just to have a fancy “After” photo.
I hope friends that you find peace today to embrace the progress, where ever you are at in your journey. That you take a deep sigh of relief knowing you are making progress even if sometimes it looks like a start over, a side step, or you are simply standing still until the path in front of you clears and then you will know which step to take next.
Greetings from the country!
My husband and I are hime owners again after 14 years of renting in the city. We are starting a long list of projects broken down in phases. When you shared in IG to celebrate the journey, I stopped to ponder. Thanks for the reminder, the transparency of process and the choice of enjoying the journey!
So happy to see you posting again!!!! Your new home is so beautiful!!!! I’m loving what you did with the living room floors, but most of all the content of this post. I’ve been on a medical journey for the past 18 months that has left me with little to no energy. It is so hard to not see progress in my home and projects, but your posts today gives a fresh perspective. Thank you for your blog, I can’t wait to follow along on the progress.
Ohh Thank you so much Cynde!
Love your sofa pillows! Where did you get them please?
Hi Molly! The darker blue ones are older from Pottery Barn, and the other blue and tan striped ones are from With Lavender & Grace, found here – https://rstyle.me/+FqRYoax94qQ2DaIFDpUKXA. Thanks so much!! ~Bre
We’ll said. The journey or “progress” is the fun part of any project, although not always easy and never in the timeline you imagined,?I’m often filled with increased gratitude when I’ve reached the end. Thank you for the great post.
Thank you and a appreciate this post and all you said, you have been busy and it looks great.
Thank you and a appreciate this post and all you said. I’m in my 70’s and still learning to slow down and really look at each step of progress. Sometimes I find I don’t need as much accomplished as I thought. You have a beautiful home and enjoy seeing all of it, thank you.
Today, I’m embracing progress in my bedroom/bathroom remodel. I have 4 craftsmen in the house today and by the time they leave, the last of the drywall will go up and the new medicine chest will be framed in. It’s been a long time coming! The remodel started in Feb! The interior doors in my house were all narrower than normal. I had Covid/pneumonia in Jan and when I told my son they said I’d be coming home with a walker and I knew that a walker wouldn’t fit through my bathroom door he found a contractor to eliminate a closet and widen the bathroom door. The tear-out was done in Feb when I was in rehab. It’s a long story filled with product delivery delays and a very busy contractor but I can finally see an end in sight! The original plan was to take out the 69″ slider and put in a 36″ French door. I ended up replacing all the interior doors. Retrofitting all the doors brought the cost of the project up but the new paneled doors are pretty and a standard width. I went from two 6′ closets to a single 6 x 4 1/2 walk-in closet. The eight-foot shower wall/door finally came in last week. It’s the finishing touch to the newly enlarged shower complete with a large niche and a bench. It’s been a long process but I’m going to be very happy when it’s all finished!
Wow Nancy!! What an undertaking, but I can only imagine how beautiful it will be once it’s finished! So awesome to be on the other side of the project and nearing the finish line, but also so great to see how far things have come! Enjoy your new space!!
Bre — your progress is both promising and already BEAUTIFUL! Can you please share where you purchased the gorgeous console table you have sitting next to the piano in the one picture? LOVE IT!
Blessings,
JP
Hi Julie!! Thank you so much, I’m excited to see our living room start to take shape! My husband and I built the table, and I’m actually sharing all about it on the blog today!!
Hi Bri,
Thank you for this wonderful post. I really needed to hear this. We are in the process of moving from Illinois to Michigan where most of our family lives. I have been so stressed that some days I just want to sit down and cry. But I keep going. We have been moving since last fall, doing it ourselves (I am 67 and my husband is 70) . My husband has collected more than 50 canoes and boats which we must also move……and 2 outbuildings with more wood than you can imagine. Don’t get me wrong…..it’s something we have always done…..working together is one of the things we love to do. We have redone 2 homes and have just bought my fathers house and gutted it to make it a place for our daughter and granddaughter to live in. ( They just came home from Australia after her husband died in a skydiving accident…..our granddaughter is 18 months old) This will be started once we move. I hope to be able to sit back and just look at the process and embrace it instead of stressing about it. Your words hit home. God bless you and your family.
Hi Cindy! I can only imagine how stressful preparing for a move like that can be. There were many moments I wanted to sit down and cry when we were getting ready to move, and we only lived in that house for 10 years, with no where near the collections that you have. Praying peace for you and your family during this transition, and what an amazing way to be able to be there for your daughter and granddaughter. I’m so glad you found comfort in my words, and just keep your eye on the prize at the finish line when you need a little motivation to keep going. I also know that breaking for ice cream every once in awhile while packing is said to help out a ton too! So have a scoop for me 🙂 XO Bre