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| One of the grands bedroom |
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| Photo courtesy of Hooked On Houses |
My first real job was a teaching position and I made $7,000 a year. It's not much money now and it wasn't very much then either. When I started looking for a place to live I had to find something that was within my budget so you can imagine how excited I was to find an efficiency apartment for just $155 a month! Even better was that the apartment was just 8 miles from the high school where I taught - not too close, but not too far. My efficiency was great too, minus the harvest gold shag carpet. It was a one bedroom efficiency with a half wall divider that separated the living room/kitchen from the bedroom. Being able to move into that tiny little apartment was my Mary Tyler Moore moment and though I had no sofa, my table, chairs and shelving were perfect.
Thirty-three years later, my bedroom is my favorite room in our house. Not because of the decor (though I do love my bed), but more because it's my quiet corner of the world where I can cocoon in my little haven. I guess I should also mention that a feng shui expert took one look at my bedroom and told me to start over because it looked like a granny room.
A few weeks after we moved in this house my dad died. It was a very sad time for me. We were in a new house with neighbors we didn't know and it was Thanksgiving weekend. I felt so alone but somehow my bedroom was a comforting space and I learned then that having this very safe place can help restore me. I also learned to treasure having a quiet and private space.
A few weeks after we moved in this house my dad died. It was a very sad time for me. We were in a new house with neighbors we didn't know and it was Thanksgiving weekend. I felt so alone but somehow my bedroom was a comforting space and I learned then that having this very safe place can help restore me. I also learned to treasure having a quiet and private space.
I've always been amazed at Louis XIV's bedchamber and how the room was used for ceremonies and royal business. Can you imagine hosting public events in such a private place?
As the weekend comes to an end I'm so happy to have had some quiet time in my treasured space. Hope you had some of the same.
My bedroom is my favorite place to go too. Love the solitude and there's nothing better than curling up with some great pillows, under a fabulous comforter.
ReplyDeleteI love my bedroom too. My chaise longue is always waiting for me with a stack of books on the table next to it. When we were at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg I shuddered at the ornate and public bedroom that Catherine the Great had!
ReplyDeleteMy bedroom is a comfortable place that has evolved over the years. No public business ever conducted there but sharing joys and concerns with children was allowed. There are stacks of books and notepads. I don't think House Beautiful will ever ask to photograph the room but it's perfect for me.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
LOL, I started at 7,000 to with a Masters Degree. But I lived at home, so I saved that way.
ReplyDeleteI retired 33 years later from that same school!
Have a good week Jo!
I love my little bedroom too! It's always one of the sunniest rooms in my house and the warmest in winter and the coolest in summer. I love to read in it on my bed with my cat at my feet. It feels so cozy.
ReplyDeleteI smiled at the thought of your first salary. Mine as a first year teacher was even less at $5,600. Difficult to imagine students today willing to accept that right out of college. LOL
ReplyDeleteI've a nice comfy bergere chair and ottoman in our bedroom and more lounging spots on the sun porch. I think I have it covered. ;-)
Nice post! ~ Sarah
Whenever I have moved, the bedroom is the last room to be packed up, and the first one to be unpacked. It's definitely the most important room in the house to me!
ReplyDeleteI'm working on new ideas for my bedroom, as well as other rooms in the house. I've become disgruntled lately with all my decor...gotta get some creative juices flowing. I do dearly love our bed though. It is so comfortable and big and I love settling into it every night. When I'm away from home, I always miss our bed! Enjoyed your post on happiness vs joy. I read something recently that said something to the effect that happiness comes with events we encounter such as a beautiful spring day, or a family gathering, or finding a pair of shoes that we've just got to have! But joy goes deeper...it's when you look into the face of your child or grandchild and feel the wonder that they belong to you...or when your loved one comes home from afar...or when you realize God is right there with you. It's an interesting concept.
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