House porn…. that is what our family calls HGTV.  Really – think about it – hours and hours and hours of staring at something that is unattainable.  I love these shows… and I know tons of people (mostly women) who love them as well.  And, to be fair, there are some good ideas.  Unfortunately, they spin one of the most unrealistic pictures of remodeling out there.  Ever done any remodeling?  We have, and as those of you who do it know, the end result is never exactly what you envisioned.  There seems to be an upswing of some of these shows always finding “the unexpected problem that changes the budget”, but I sure wish that my projects only had one unexpected problem! and I bet you wish that too! These shows, and again, I remind you that I love them, are an example of what is wrong in our society today.  Ok, don’t get all excited, telling me to relax, this is just entertainment, etc… Ask yourself if you can watch just one of these episodes and walk away.  Ask yourself if you can watch and not want to be the people in the episode.  Ask yourself if you can watch and not wish you had the funds to do what they (the tons of professionals they hire) do to make the changes in the house they are working on. If you can, stop reading this!

I guess since I can’t answer these questions with a resounding “yes” then I may be an addict…. of course, in the world of addictions, this one ranks right down there with being addicted to pulling weeds.  My point is this – we seem to get so caught up in wishing for what we don’t have to pay attention to what we do have.  Isn’t this kind of like “coveting”?  That is a word we don’t use today… “to want something (you do not have) very much”.  While we may not use the word – we sure exemplify the behavior.  The washer and dryer -still work, but are not the latest model.  Let’s replace them.  The clothes in the closet are several years old – lets go shopping.  The car has 100,000 miles on it – whoa get to the dealership!  Do you see yourself here at all?

I try to remind myself to look around at all that I have materially – and sheesh it is way more than I need – read that to say garage sale around the corner. And all that stuff hasn’t really done anything to change who I am or what I have to offer in life to my family or to others. What I have to offer, is myself, my thoughts, my ideas, my compassion,my frustration, and my time.  All of these things, and more, is what brings us to a remodeled home – all of our feelings and experiences -shared with those that we do life with.  Everyday, we have some opportunity to do some remodeling – I need to work harder on those opportunities, not the coveting opportunities. How about you? Now… back to house porn….

Please join the discussion, by double clicking the entry title – I would love to hear your thoughts.