The Smart Woman's Guide to Loving Her Home

I spent $4 to recapture a memory from age 22. As a senior at Smith College, we were all invited down to the college green house to collect ivy plants in tiny pots. I'm not sure if a Seven Sister College is part of the Ivy League to outsiders, but inside of Smith the ivy plant is a strong symbol of our identity. 

I bought my $3 ivy plant at my town's Wal-mart. After drooling over the pretty glazed pots, I decided that our household budget would permit me only the 77 cent clay pot. As I checked out, I'm always surprised with the cheapest option is often the more beautiful option.

Ivy is the plant of marriage. The cords of ivy symbolize the cords of friendship and love that bind a couple together. I put my ivy plant in our bedroom window.

Marriage and the physical structure of a home functions like a green house. The lifetime commitment creates a safe interior structure that allows things to grow easily inside. As a wife and mother, I'm conscious of the daily growth that happens for my children and my husband. However, I don't always remember to "put myself into the equation." Marriage is relationship that is meant to help me grow into my "best self", too.

This week I moved my writing desk into our bedroom which has a locked door. I put an ivy plant in our bedroom window. Last night I sat in my tiny backyard in a folding chair and looked at the stars with my husband.  When I turned around, I could see my four inch ivy plant from the second story window.

Someday, I hope my book gets finished. I hope my blog gains many readers. I hope I get many chances to work for clean water and better care of our environment. For now, I'm grateful for the small spike of promise. I feel a peacefulness inside my home and inside my life. I'm only sorry now that I undervalued this avenue towards self-confidence and self-expression for so many decades.