I had a dream this weekend that Joanna Young sold me her house. It was under construction with half finished rooms and much of the roof missing. Somehow I had bought the contraption house and was happily living in it while completing construction.
- Image by unertlkm via Flickr
Joanna came to visit and I showed her around, eventually leading her to the master bedroom. The room had a huge bed, a big screen TV and a tub with a seating area in front of it. We sat on the huge bed, me cross legged and grinning and Joanna prim and proper.
“I hate this bedroom, that’s why I sold the house, ” Joanna stated as she involuntarily shuddered.
“We fixed the door, see it’s level and smooth now,” I said beaming with pride, immune to her criticism.
For a few moments we both sat looking at the neon green door that looked like glowing slime, with two windows on either side painted the same color. Still grinning I looked around the room at dark blue walls and the red seating area in front of the tub.
In the light of day I was both mortified and tickled at the realization that I must have a dormant tacky gene that haunts me in sleep. Once I got past the horror of my color scheme, I reflected on the 5 lessons of the dream.
Lesson #1: I am apparently blissfully happy as long as I have a bed, bathtub, and TV even if the color scheme would make a sane person puke. Scary but true.
- Image by ஐ★ღ§wêê†Båbίί®åєღ★ஐ via Flickr
Lesson #2: The house did not work for Joanna but I found happiness there. My face beamed with joy surrounded by all my tacky colors and half finished house. When Joanna blatantly stated her dislike, it would have been easy to lose my enthusiasm and agree with someone whose opinion I deeply respect. How often in life do we shy away from doing things a certain way because someone smarter, popular or more successful has spoken against it? We may begin to doubt our judgment or ability to make it work when someone “better” could not.
Lesson #3: The color scheme and much of the house needed work but I was able to celebrate the accomplishment of a level door. It is easy to miss what you have already accomplished when you are sitting in the middle of a half finished house. Take a moment and give yourself a pat on the back for what’s been done. That small task is one less thing on your to-do list.
Lesson #4: The colors may not make sense to someone else but they are YOUR colors. It’s tempting to stay with safe, proven color schemes. You will blend right in and no one will point and laugh but safe colors are precisely that safe. Own your tacky, putrid, neon colors,let ‘em fly! Those colors are your distinction, they are what makes you unique. I would rather be flying my quirky neon flag than trying to compete with the millions of safe colors in the crayon box.
Lesson #5: Visiting with friends always makes you happy even if you’re visiting in a room that one of you detests.
Are you proudly sporting your unique colors or playing it safe? Why or why not?
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c76f46e6-ad30-48ec-980c-a57e357aa033)
Thank you so much for reading! Subscribe to keep up with the latest posts and feel free to spread the word!Get free updates via RSS or email.
: 
...
: 
October 5th, 2009 on 8:01 am
This made me laugh out loud at first, Karen. The Joanna/colours juxtaposition is dear to my heart at the moment.
What a wonderful post to read as I set about seeking out the new colours I know are there for me, for my work and for my writing.
Thank you
Reply
Karen Swim
Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Jan, laughter is great!
Joanna is a wonderful inspiration and I am so glad that my wacky dream and post come at a time when you are on your own mission. I hope you’ll share the results with all of us. I am very interested to see what colors emerge for you, and of course ready to celebrate with you. 
Reply
October 5th, 2009 on 8:27 am
Lemme just say: You are one scare woman, Karen!
Fabulous five points from a strange dream, though. I’d be interested in hearing Joanna’s 5 points, too. Good thing at least one of the three of us is sane! (rolls eyes and snickers).
Robert Hruzek´s last blog ..What I Learned From… Limits
Reply
Karen Swim
Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Robert, LOL, I know pretty scary indeed! I don’t know if it was my dinner or the television I watched in the evening….but I sure do have some crazy dreams!
Karen Swim´s last blog ..Crazy Colors, Level Doors and Life Lessons
Reply
October 5th, 2009 on 11:29 am
Quite a dream you had, Karen, and quite an education from the lessons learned!
Lillie Ammann´s last blog ..Podcast at Bluestocking Guide
Reply
Karen Swim
Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Hi Lillie, it was pretty out there and more out there to share it! LOL! I guess that proves that I really am flying my quirky flag!
Karen Swim´s last blog ..Crazy Colors, Level Doors and Life Lessons
Reply
October 5th, 2009 on 12:04 pm
Loved this part! “The colors may not make sense to someone else but they are YOUR colors.”
So true! And having the courage of your convictions is one superb skill that can really help you in all areas in your life…not just decorating.
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..Make money by MASTERING Your Niche Part 1 – Keep Proactively Current via RSS
Reply
Karen Swim
Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Barbara, if I may add that YOUR colors are beautiful! I love how you have carved out your own space and do things your way. As a lucky person on your list, I look forward to your communications. You do you really well!
Reply
October 5th, 2009 on 12:18 pm
Karen, this is priceless – talk about taking social media connections to new limits!!!
Joanna Young´s last blog ..Godin on the Humility of Blogging
Reply
Karen Swim
Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
LOL! Joanna, I know, I was so tickled when I awakened and each time I think of it, I double over again.
Reply
October 5th, 2009 on 3:57 pm
LOL Matisse darling, Matisse interiors… And vivid not tacky… you almost have a primary color situation there, which to me says, that Karen does not dream drab.
This is priceless…
Reply
Karen Swim
Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Jan, lol! Matisse! Yes! Much, much better than tacky! ROFL! I love having a friend that’s an artist!
Reply
October 6th, 2009 on 7:41 am
Ummm…you know, if you don’t like the color scheme, it’s not totally not inconceivable to REPAINT a room.
Or did the Dream-Joanna not figure that out yet?
Reply
Karen Swim
Reply:
October 6th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Friar, LOL! In my dream, the paint colors were my doing, dream-Joanna (there’s a phrase I thought I’d never type!) did not like the actual room, the structure, layout.
Reply
October 7th, 2009 on 2:08 am
Wow, that’s indeed an interesting dream! And i know the feeling, sometime we’re so happy with what we have and where we are, that even if those most important to us think it’s not good enough, they can’t spoil it for us. It is a wonderful feeling. And dream-you is so right, it sometimes take so little to make us happy!
Alina Popescu´s last blog ..Now I’ve really had it!
Reply
October 7th, 2009 on 5:47 am
Karen,
what a wonderful post! I particularly liked:
“I would rather be flying my quirky neon flag than trying to compete with the millions of safe colors in the crayon box”. Reading this evoked the image of a black-red jolly roger flag flying for me in my mind (you know, that one with the skull!). Life, here I come!
Ulla Hennig´s last blog ..Pink Rose
Reply