Paintfest

Good friends of ours just bought a house. Before they move all of their belongings in, they want to paint all of the rooms to their liking. I couldn't agree more. It's definitely the way to do it. Since I have superior painting skills, I was recruited to spend my Saturday helping out our friends by wielding a paint brush. 

The last time I painted, Jeff and I weren't quiet married yet. He had just moved to Schenectady and was given a spectacle of an apartment to live in. The walls were painted a spirited, American flag type of red, white, and blue. When you walked through the door, your right hand immediately was drawn over your heart and you instinctively began to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Jeff and I both love this great country of ours, however, the incessantly bright red, white, and blue walls were burning our eyes and pounding our heads. They needed to be painted!

Jeff informed me of  his plans to paint, and I enthusiastically volunteered, "I love to paint!" The truth was, I had never painted before in my life. Well, I had never painted walls. I guess if I told him I loved to paint pretty pictures with water colors, that would have been more accurate. Nevertheless, Jeff accepted my offer to help and I did a fine job if I don't say so myself.

I have to be honest and admit that I felt somewhat envious walking into the new home my friends now own. I want nothing more than for Jeff and I to own our own home. A good start may be living in the same city. Either way, the feeling was still lingering. I couldn't help but think the last time I painted I was painting the first place Jeff and I would live together. And really, I had always thought the next time I would paint would be when we had bought our first house.

Pushing those underlying thoughts aside, I did my best to accommodate my friends and paint to the best of my ability. Maybe I didn't push those thoughts completely away. I guess, really, I look at it as practice. What areas I need to work on painting wise, like doing the trim, I practice at our friends' home. I screw up there, fix it, and learn. Thus, when Jeff and I eventually get a house, my painting skills will be extraordinary.

Practice and learn. That's what life is all about, whether it is painting, basketball, cooking, or life. The more you practice something, the more you learn, and the better you become for it.