Am I the only one who gets really weird FOMO type feelings about home decor sometimes? Like I am very confident that I ought to have a farmhouse kitchen (I have literally never lived on a farm, folks), a midcentury modern living room, oooOOHHH and maybe a BUNK ROOM full of BUNK BEDS and also maybe a turfed backyard so my kids can play outside year round?

Clearly this imagery home lacks cohesion (as well as respect for our b u d g e t), though each of those ideas—and the half dozen others I could have mentioned—are stinkin' cute. Not a bad idea in the bunch.

Except that each idea came from someone else’s home, and I wasn’t struck by inspiration—I was jealous. I know I’m jealous when I want to just pick up something in its entirety and take it home with me—or better yet, kick folks out of their situation and just take over myself. 

Inspiration leaves me asking, “Why did that house make me feel so good? Why can’t I stop thinking about it?” I’m looking for WHY I like something instead of a checklist of WHAT I need. 

Confession—this goes beyond home decor. Hair styles, sneakers, the cute phrases my friends use, any number of huge life choices each of us makes (kids, career, homes, marriage, etc.)…there’s a lot that goes into the “is this envy or inspiration?” thought bubble.

It’s good to be influenced by each other—but we can’t just go around copycatting the top layer of the best parts of each other. Too much is left behind. No bone or muscles to build up a body that can fight or dance. We’ve gotta dig in and ask why—why is this important? The answers to those questions—and the time it takes to find the answers—those are the bones and muscles we need.

Anyhow, in the end, I kinda think it’s best if our top layers don’t look exactly like our friends. That’s my two cents.