Hi Everyone-

It’s way too early on a Saturday, but here I am wide awake crafting this week’s blog post. Actually, I’m up because I was supposed to have someone come by and help me with my latest home project: painting my front door. Which was all well and good until I realized (at 5:51 am EST) that applying exterior paint when it’s 28F is just plain ridiculous. Thankfully I consulted both the paint can AND Google before my TaskRabbit handyman came over to start the job.

It may sound silly, but I’m a tad disappointed. I agonized over picking just the right paint color, bought all of the supplies and had worked myself into a state of anticipation at the thought of an eye-popping, Pinterest-worthy front door. And now, here I am, lying in bed with two sleeping dogs and feeling a bit foolish that I even had this project in mind given such inhospitable painting conditions.

But here’s the thing: sometimes in both life and design, it’s not time yet. And yet there are circumstances where we want to make it happen (whatever IT is) no matter the conditions. I want my front door to be the fabulous shade of (well…you’ll find out soon enough) RIGHT NOW, but my impatience will undoubtedly produce a less than optimal result. And if I know that, why would I still pick up a roller and start painting?

If I step back and think about it, this paint lesson also comes with a life lesson: PATIENCE. As a self-diagnosed instant gratification junkie, I have never had a healthy reserve of wait-and-see. “I want, I act, I get” has been a longstanding formula of mine that has brought me to where I am. And that’s not a bad thing, but I am learning (sometimes through uncomfortable means) that impatience does not always serve my best and highest self. As I get older, I’m starting to appreciate the thoughtfulness that comes from slowing down a bit, and the learning that happens in the pause.

Last year, my coach lovingly helped me recognize that winter (be it the actual season or the feeling) can be just as productive as the full bloom of summer. It’s a time when we turn inward and store up energy for what will inevitably be a great awakening and rebirth in the spring. So even though the time may not be right to paint my door, it’s a great time to start thinking about painting my door, buying a sassy new doormat, maybe picking up a playful topiary or a wind chime to grace my front entrance. And if I’m really craving action, I’m quite sure there’s an interior project that has yet to be conceived…

So, maybe ask yourself: What season am I in?  The answer may not match up with what your meteorologist says. Name your inner season, and honor it. If you’re in winter, revel in the dormancy and dream. If you’re in spring, feel what’s blooming inside of you. If it’s summer, dance in the fullness of what you’ve created. And if it’s fall, let the leaves drop and slow down. There is beauty in every season, and there is action even when it feels like the world is standing still.

For me, I’m parked in winter. And until this moment, I didn’t realize I was judging myself for it, which explains why I was so gung-ho to paint my front door in conditions that are totally out of whack. I WANT it to be Spring, but it’s not time yet. So until then, I’ll dream, plan and craft a vision that can be fully realized when the conditions are right.

One day, I’ll step out my door and just know: IT’S TIME.