What I learned from a kitchen reno
In January, I hired two guys to rip our kitchen out and begin a renovation project I'd been planning for over a year. Prior to demolition, I spent days taking all of the plates, bowls, cups, blenders, everything, out of the cupboards and stacking them up all over the dining room, creating a big cluttered mess. It's always surprising how much is held in the cupboards and drawers of our homes!
As I shuttled platters and spatulas out of the kitchen, I was reminded of a coaching approach called the Living Space tool. The premise is that our external living space is a reflection of our inner lives. Our physical living space serves as a metaphor for what's going on inside and how we are living.
For this renovation, I was cleaning out my kitchen drawers, tossing things I no longer need, and laying out all the stuff that is usually hidden in cupboards on the dining table in full display. Lately I have been doing the exact same thing with my inner, unseen life: taking stock of my long-held beliefs, patterns and behaviors, deciding which ones to hold on to and which ones to toss, trying to get everything “out on the table.” It is sometimes messy, awkward, and not pretty - but its a crucial part of growth.
Through this process, I am holding my vision of the new kitchen. Sometimes its hard to keep in focus when the walls are bare and there's sawdust everywhere. But soon I will be neatly lining the drawers and placing everything back in - some things back where they were and some in new and improved spots.
Over the last two months of construction I've been reminded of this: “Cleaning out the cupboards” and “putting everything on the table” is important. Through the inevitable mess and missteps, be BIG enough to hold your vision.
Try it for yourself. Take a look at your living space and describe it. What do you love about it? What do you hate about it? Now substitute “my apartment is” or “my bedroom is” to describe yourself instead and see what comes up. Do you find any connections between the description of your living space and your inner life or state? Think in metaphors.
