On Rugs.

I love rugs; patterned rugs, fuzzy rugs, big rugs, small rugs. They add subtle layers of complexity, texture, and warmth to a room. I moved to a new house recently and went on a bit of a rug binge. I’ve acquired 4 new ones so far to be exact. God Bless you and your rugs, Ikea. I also have 2 old ones I’ve carried with me from place to place throughout the years. They first made their debut about 5 and ½ years ago in my dorm room freshman year of college. I’ve been probed by various people about maybe getting rid of them but have clung tightly... which is weird for me because I’m my mother’s daughter and have been in training for 23 years on the fine art of getting rid of ‘crap.’

Have I successfully painted a picture of how rug obsessive I am yet? Good, let’s digress a little further.

What I don’t like are proverbial rugs- i.e. ‘let’s just sweep it under the rug.’ Most things in life aren’t meant to be swept under a rug and I wish people would be brave and truthful enough to realize that. Yes, there are occasional things that are better left unsaid; but that’s the exception, not the rule. The things you love, hate, are passionate about, that drive you crazy… I challenge you to be loud about them. It might make people uncomfortable but do them a favor and help them grow a little because as I’ve mentioned before, ‘life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’  Help spark in them the light that sparks in yourself when you boldly take control of your life and lose the broom.

It doesn’t make you a strong person to not talk about how (s)he broke your heart, that sometimes you just need to cry, or that you incurred something God awful that no one should ever have to go through. It’s also not ‘cool’ to conveniently sweep our passions and convictions out of sight. We’re not meant to sit around like a bunch of art exhibits; quietly letting others make their own assumptions about us only for them to walk away and leave behind nothing but a layer of judgmental dust. We’re made to yell and scream and own our stories. You’re the first and last YOU to walk this earth; there’s never going to be another one. So own the f*ck out of yourself. Share your stories, don’t be scared to let yourself be heard, and stop doubting whether you matter or not. Because you do... you matter a lot. You also truly never know whose day you could turn around, life you could save, or person you could connect with by opening yourself up and letting others peek inside.

Clap for the good, bad, ugly, and quirky parts of yourself. Clap for the hurt that's caused you to grow, the moments that awakened something inside of you, and all the little in-between occurrences that have shaped your perspective and character.  A harsh but true reality is that if you’re not clapping for yourself you sure as hell can’t expect anyone else to. Your life is far too important and one-of-a-kind to be swept under a rug.

On a lighter note, Ikea really does have amazing rugs if you’re in the market J.

Main Takeaways:

"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better."       -Anne Lamott

Lose the pretense and the broom.



Only boring people care about clean.