If I had to narrow it down to a single word it would be ‘patience’. Not the ‘grin and bear it kind’ where you're just quietly waiting for time to pass. And not the kind of patience that refuses to allow daydreaming of tomorrow. But the patience that is full of grace, that is fully present in the moment, yet eager and looking forward to what is to come. For that is what will guide an old home homeowner through the inevitable journey they will take part in. And that is what sets these caretakers a part from the crowd.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with Karyolyn of @ladydukart on ‘A Quarter Til Wine’. Karolyn embodies this sort of patience and understanding. Her ability to soak in and appreciate the seemingly mundane corners, nooks, and crannies of her home has caught the eye of many in this old home community and serves as an example of what it truly looks like. It is often heard that we move at a different cadence than our ‘new home’ counterparts. A room may take the better part of a year (or longer) and we have somehow learned to embrace that part and still enjoy every (ok maybe most) moment.

Karolyn has taken on a project that many would balk at primarily by herself. Hiring out the major ‘systems’ early on, the painstaking piecing together of the rest was almost entirely her. While I myself am living in a home that arguably needs just as much work I am always intrigued when I see a young, inexperienced, homeowner roll up their sleeves and go for it, and more often than not succeeding! At the root of it I find that a willingness to try and a desire to learn, and of course that patience, is all that is needed to step by step work one’s way through all of the many ailments of their home. The truth is, it is possible, plain and simple. Through a community of like minded homeowners who value seeing the collective succeed answers to anything is within reach and 

I asked Karolyn to share one piece of advice with our audience. How is she able to maintain a can do attitude when it seems like everything needs something? Her answer was simple.

“You just start it”.

The mountain always seems the highest when you're on the ground. But step by step, inch by inch, you work your way through it. Understanding and embracing the inevitable failure, and knowing that that too, is ok. The journey is certain to carry some amount of disappointment, some amount of unexpected circumstances, but each “oops!” leads you closer to the “a ha!”. Much like life, our home’s teaching extends far beyond what we may see on the surface, and for that I will always be grateful, and always ready to…

start.

What is one thing your home has taught you then you were able to implement in another part of your life?