Pretty in Pink
the Pink Room
“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
― Virginia Woolf, quote from A Room of One's Own
My brother-in-law lived with us for most of the pandemic. When he moved out last Easter, I immediately reclaimed the guest room as my own private boudoir. We painted the walls pink, with one accent wall this gorgeous shade of purple. I moved in my shoes, bags, and most of my clothes - I also have a rack in the main bedroom for my collection of designer dresses! In the main bedroom as well my husband and I finally got rid of the nursing chair that had been with us for 8+ years, in favor of a velveteen settee a beautiful shade of emerald green. My son loves to “lounge on the lounge"….some nights it’s hard to move him into his own bed!
But I digress….
Having my own room, my own personal space, has done wonders for my mental health. This is MY space. I typically will allow my husband and son to join me there (also the dog), but it’s just nice to know that I have the choice. It’s my space to create, whether that means filming for Instagram, or simply applying my makeup and crafting my look for the day. (#ootd) This is the one room in the house that always smells nice, thanks to the volume of fragrance that I apply every morning. It’s also the only room in the house not cluttered with an array of toys, art projects, and other miscellanea. I can relax and read, listen to music, meditate - whatever I choose. It’s my own little piece of heaven!
Famously Virginia Woolf, quoted above, understood the importance of having one’s own space, especially in the context of being a “creative” in an era in which women were discouraged if not outright prohibited from being so. Now that so many of us have experienced WFH life, we understand the importance of having separate spaces to help us create mental compartmentation - working space and family space, maybe even yoga space! What I shared in my last post, about “work life balance,” is in actuality a myth, especially now, when we are plugged in 24/7. Since the 90’s when the internet was but a zygote, we now have cell phones with email, texting, and a 24 hour news cycle. The very fact that we can and do perform our work at home blurs the boundaries. So having our own little corner of the world, tucked away from the demands of our bosses, our partners, our children, has become more crucial than ever.
