Sacred Spaces

Yesterday's speakers at church each spoke about their own sacred spaces. Of course I was enjoying the sacred space of hanging out with a group of kids downstairs playing uno and playmobil. That's the big sacred stuff for sure. But it got me thinking about my own sacred spaces.

During the family money tussles that always follow the holiday for us there was a chicken fight about who is the more frugal adult in our house. (I am.) And I got to thinking about the private spaces of our house, and the money and time and energy spent on them. We have finally given away the last piece of free furniture from our main living area. All of the things we sit on or put our coffee on are things that we bought, somehow. Maybe at the liquidation sale, but nothing was by the side of the road for free. And we painted in colors I love, and even re carpeted a small room, and put in beautiful stone floor in another. Good, grown-up, maintaining of spaces.

Not true in our bedroom. We have never had a real head board, instead just matresses on a frame, my altar is a castoff dresser, and there are three totally unmatched bookshelves. My bedside table was found out by the side of the road, granted at my friend Debb's house, but still, it was headed out. I grabbed it. No, didn't cute it up or paint it or make it "distressed" (I am distressed enough, why do I want distressed tables!!?) I just washed it up and there it sits, seven years later. Yeah.

So, here is one place that being good to myself is not about the food or the right or the wrong or the fact that the damn scale at the Y says I gained four pounds. Taking care of my self can mean making sacred spaces in my own daily life. Space for meditation, and space for good and nice things in my life. No, not fancy or fine. But good. I'm not winning any prizes for having old used things in my bedroom. And I'm not even winning any arguments ( I give too much money away to win frugal parent of the year award, I guess...whatever!). I have not been creating sacred spaces that take care of myself like I really should be.

Here's my plan. IKEA has one of their twice a year sales going on. So, I'm just going to go and pick out a little bedside table that is under $20, and get a bulb for the IKEA lamp that I have that needs one. I'll gather nice things from my altar and make a good, happy space next to my bed. It's a little start, like having only one piece of toast instead of two, and running for 15 minutes instead of 10.

Maybe it will add up.