Category: Life at Home

This post is part of our Gratitude series, which reminds us to celebrate the ordinary things as we navigate life at home.

—

Today we’re grateful for… air conditioning.

Too obvious? We think not.

We confess — this time of year, it’s easy to fall into a predictable conversational pattern. You know how it goes — someone asks how you are doing, and your automatic response becomes a complaint about the weather.

True, it’s ridiculously hot out there. But, how does dwelling in the negativity really help anyone?

Instead of further weighing ourselves down, let’s go the opposite route. Let’s choose to express a little extra gratitude for what we do have this time of year — air conditioning. It’s pretty incredible what our AC systems can do, allowing our homes and workplaces to be comfortable spaces amidst this season of intense heat.

So thanks, AC for doing your thing. As desert dwellers, we have super high expectations of you, and it’s pretty wonderful that you keep running.

This post is part of our Gratitude series, which reminds us to celebrate the ordinary things as we navigate life at home.

—

Today we’re grateful for… the fridges that house our food.

Pause for a moment. Consider what your life would look like without a chilly place to store your milk, cheese, meat… perishables galore. Especially in the summer heat, those ingredients stand little chance of survival without a fridge to call home. Any extended time without that extra chill would render them questionable for consumption.

But how many times do we actually even notice the substantial impact our fridges have on our lives? In our own experience, at least — pretty much never. Their big time role is largely overlooked (that is, until they fall down on the job).

So today, we want to give a hat tip to the fridges in our lives. We’re taking a moment to say — thanks fridge for the way you keep on keepin’ on, ensuring that our food lasts, providing nourishment and fuel for our lives!

This post is part of our Gratitude series, which reminds us to celebrate the ordinary things as we navigate life at home.

—

Today we’re grateful for… the morning light.

Yes, we’re right there with you — getting ready in the morning isn’t always the most peaceful series of events. An abrupt alarm clock summons us from our dreams and our minds start racing with all that needs to be done.

Yet, the morning light offers a gentle nudge to notice and breathe. Before we race into the day, we can pause to gaze upon those soft beams of light as they gently peer through the window. Splendid in their own right, the illuminate the rhythmic beauty of each day.
They remind us that each day gives us a chance to begin anew… a clean slate, an opportunity to create. So thank you, morning light, for reminding us to pause and truly notice the new day unfolding.

This post is part of our Gratitude series, which reminds us to celebrate the ordinary things as we navigate life at home.

—

Today we’re grateful for… the post-dinner kitchen scene. Oh dear. So many days it looks like total chaos. That big stack of dishes, pots and pans can get pretty crazy. It’s such a helpful, tangible reminder though — life is a total creative process. It’s messy. It’s inefficient. There’s some work involved in creating what you desire. Sure, there’s a little cleanup necessary… especially when you decide to spice things up, try something new or venture beyond what is known. But the consequential messiness isn’t something to fret or despise. It’s a good thing. It’s evidence that we’ve chosen to engage and get messy… evidence that we are truly alive. And that ought to bring a joy-filled smile to our faces.]]>

This post is part of our Gratitude series, which reminds us to celebrate the ordinary things as we navigate life at home.

—

Today, we’re grateful for… electricity. The power went out for a few hours the other day. Threw us for a loop, that’s for sure. Breakfast prep looked a bit different. There were some challenges doing our whole morning hygiene routine in the semi-dark. And, opening the garage door was a trip too.

It’s unexpected moments like those that hand us a chance to decide — how will we react? Which path will we choose? It’s easy to get a little ticked off. Toast isn’t the same when the toaster can’t do its thing. Drying your hair becomes impossible. And who really has time or energy to figure out what manually opening the garage door looks like first thing in the morning?

Still, we can choose to say — wow, thanks electricity for being there… EVERY OTHER DAY. And if we’re feeling bold enough, we can even say — thanks for the chance to move beyond auto-pilot and get a little creative with the morning routine. Thanks power outages for reminding us, the hiccups might be just the thing we need to stay awake and alive.

This post is part of our Gratitude series, which reminds us to celebrate the ordinary things as we navigate life at home.

Today we’re grateful for… the water heater.
Can you imagine showers this time of year without it? Instead of a nice, warming experience, our shower heads would shoot out an oh-so chilly stream. And as far as dishes and laundry go, they’d be washed in frigid water too. Noooo thank you.

It’s true, we don’t see near as frigid temperatures as many other cities. But, temps certainly do dip enough to make our water heaters worth noticing. So, thank you, water heater… we appreciate you continuing to do your thing. Without you things might get a little too wintry.

This post is part of our Gratitude series, which reminds us to celebrate the ordinary things as we navigate life at home.

—

Today, we’re grateful for… toilets that flush. Seriously. We totally take for granted the ease of disposing of waste. The fact that most days that basic home system does its thing glitch-free is worth pausing to notice, celebrate and say thanks for. It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the moments when things fail to operate smoothly. But today, in this moment, let’s just take up a posture of gratitude and say thanks for all those common, functioning home systems that we tend to overlook… like toilets that flush 🙂  ]]>

— This post is part of our Life at Home series. Each month, we explore different thinking, techniques or tools related to the concept of a home and what it means to live well in ours. —

Home for the holidays. That phrase that certainly conjures up a whole host of thoughts and memories. Some items that pop up are more desirable than others. Grandma Rose’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Yes, PLEASE. That aroma is to die for. And the sweet taste? Out of this world. Grandpa’s “signature” fruitcake. Eh… let’s just say we weren’t heartbroken the year he decided to stop making those. As for the year a certain uncle and aunt drank a bit too much and fought most awkwardly in front of the family…. nevermind. Let’s not go there.

It’s no secret that the holidays are a charged subject. You may be blessed to be home this year, or you may be far from it. You may be looking forward to time with family, or you may find yourself mostly alone. You may be wanting to press pause and savor it all, or you may be searching for fast-forward, trying to jump past this season altogether. Whichever boat you’re in, we want to remind you — it’s okay.

Whether you are excited or heartbroken, enlivened or afraid — this is life. It isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always picturesque. Yet, in the midst of it all, we’re convinced — there’s always hope to be found. So, it’s our wish that this is a season of hope for you, even that seems unlikely or impossible. We hope that you experience a season in which light breaks through any darkness.

Happy Holidays, The Platinum Team

Home is… Working with what you’ve got. Perhaps the pillows and the rug don’t match. Actually, if you’re honest, they completely clash. It’s no surprise given that the rug was a hand-me-down frzom your great-aunt Marge and the pillows were on sale when you snatched them on a whim that one time you went shopping five years ago. It probably wouldn’t bother you so much if you didn’t have such a guilty pleasure for Pinterest. Oh, and that show on HGTV doesn’t help. But, maybe home is less about the lack or what isn’t quite up to par. Maybe it’s more about the way you work with what you’ve got. So, this week, our challenge is to look at our homes a bit differently. If we find ourselves fed up with the mismatch, let’s instead ask the question – what am I grateful for about my home? True, it won’t make our homes magically transform into our Pinterest dreams. But, it will shift our perspective to a place of fulfillment instead of being consumed by the lack. And, we may even find – it wasn’t the pillows that needed to go after all. No, it was our perspective that was holding us back. Warmly, The Platinum Team]]>

Home is… That painful moment when friends stop by unexpectedly and the house is… far from perfect. Scratch that. It’s a disaster. You can’t focus on a single word they’re saying because you’re busy judging yourself for the wreck of a home you are living in. Funny thing is — it quickly becomes clear that your friends could care less. They’re just happy to see you. And, they even go so far as to compliment you on the new rug. Maybe you’re not the only one that could take a few notes from your friends. Maybe we all can. Instead, of dishing out yet another plate of shame to devour our own spirits, let’s choose a different route. This month, when we open up our imperfect homes to others, let’s take a moment to applaud the bravery we show in those moments. After all, what we, as a greater community, need isn’t another example of the illusion of perfection. We need more courageous spirits that aren’t ashamed of sharing reality. If you’re open to it, we’d love to hear your stories. Let us know — what imperfect moments have you encountered, and how have you chosen to respond? Warmly, The Platinum Team]]>