REMODEL ~ DAY 9

“Where do you plan to put the TV?”
Such an innocent question! But once they put the wires into the walls, it’s not an easy thing to change.

We were told by our decorator that most people now are putting their TV over the mantel. So, we compliantly taped up a square of cardboard the size of the TV we hope to be able to afford to buy soon. We tried hard to like our mythical TV over the fireplace. We really did. I especially tried to like it, even though it strained my neck to look up that high. Rod didn’t try quite as hard as I did. He said, “This makes my neck hurt. It’s just too high up. Plus, I hate it that when people come in our front door the main thing they will see is a TV set! “

Funny, once one person states a truth, it is easier for the spouse to admit that same truth out loud. I said something like, “Well, now that you mention it, my neck was hurting, too." And I don’t want to give up the location of that Bouguereau print of the little girl that we usually hang there.”

Then we looked around and found a corner we never would have thought about. We tried out the (mythical) TV there and it worked! Plus, we could see it from our (mythical) chairs that will sit up to our (mythical) countertop between the kitchen and the living room. (If it sounds like we are spending a lot of time in an imaginary world these days, that’s because we are!)

Now came the hard part, because I am such a people-pleaser at heart. (I know, I know. That is bad and we’re supposed to be a God-pleaser, not a people-pleaser. And I really am better at that than I’ve ever been in my life, but I still struggle with it sometimes.) So, I called the decorator and bravely said, “We’ve decided we don’t like the TV above the mantel. It’s just too high and we don’t want the TV to have that much focus. We DO like it in the corner. How do you feel about that?” Surprise, surprise! She said, “What a good idea! I think that will look great!” Whoo-ee!!! Our decorator thought we had a good idea! (Whew!)

What am I learning from experiences like this one?
1) Rod is quite good at being fully honest with himself about his likes and dislikes, no matter what anyone else thinks. Then he’s usually confident enough to express those opinions.

2) In many areas of life, I, too, find it quite easy to be honest and assertive. But in the area of home décor, I still have a hard time both KNOWING what I prefer and having the confidence to EXPRESS my opinion, especially to others who are “experts.”

3) Also, much as I hate to admit it, I think Rod has more intuitive good taste with home décor than I do. (Man, is it going to hurt my pride to let him read this.) 

QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: In your marriage, who is more confident about making home décor decisions? What is a funny story about a decorating decision you made recently?