Rearranging our shelves


The other day, after dropping Jasper off at Kindergarten for the first time, I came home and started rearranging our book shelves.
Seriously.
I took everything off of each shelf and then put the books back on in color order, sometimes rainbow, sometimes black to white, or blue to yellow, what ever worked for each shelf.


I was completely absorbed with the task, as Carys played beside me. It wasn't until Frank walked through the living room and jokingly said, "Uh oh, Mommy is color coding the books.", that I realized that maybe there was more to my behavior.
Truthfully, arranging the books by color was something that I have always wanted to do, after seeing it in magazines and admiring how it transforms and orders the whole look of the space. I had hoped to do it someday, but the time never seemed right for such a frivolous feeling project.


What I realize now, a few days later, is that I was also doing just what I needed to do that day....to organize my thoughts as well as the books, to keep my mind focused on the beauty of this transition for our boy (instead of the mama sadness in my heart). Our lives are being arranged around this new school schedule, so now the time feels right to rearrange other things as well...it is amazing how that happens. To me this is evidence of how things really do open up at just the right time.
Besides, who really couldn't use a little more beauty on their bookshelves?

4 comments:

BananaSaurusRex said...

Ha! I've seen books arranged that way in magazines too and it looks so pretty - and I always think: If only I had thought to purchase my books for the color of their spines rather than their content, oh well!
I think you've hit it right on the head - I feel the same, and I've noticed that every mama I talk to is rearranging, cleaning out and organizing - I'm calling it Seasonal Affective Disarray....
Love your posts, as always!
xo, Rebecca

Kirsten said...

It looks great Faith. Coming from one who keeps very well organized books! It also seems like this is the beginning of taking the small steps in order to make the BIG step you plan for next year!

Lauren said...

been thinking about fixin the bookshelves here too... every 6 months we make it look nice, and then it gets wild again, so now the color-arranging makes me want to try that... wonderful! and I know how it is mama, cleaning is like meditating sometimes...

Dana Barbieri said...

i really love how this looks faith.

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