An ode to home improvement

I don't know about you other home improvement types, but I really get an immense feeing of satisfaction doing this stuff. Really. As in, really and truly. Like I could do it all day long and never get tired of it. I enjoy the work that I actually get paid for, of course, but there is this deep, earthy feeling of wholeness that I get when I do any sort of work on our house.

Case in point: re-wiring the kitchen. Doing any kind of wiring used to scare the heck out of me. I was really, really freaked out about doing this part of the kitchen renovation. I suppose it's the fear of the unknown but it really made me feel uneasy. Now, not only knowing how to do it but even to feel comfortable doing it is really satisfying. And it just feels like a real sense accomplishment. I'm not sure if other women feel this way doing this stuff, but I think it's really empowering to know that I could do it. But it's really about knowng that I've gone from something like this:

To something like this:



Now, don't get me wrong. It's not all butterflies, puffy stickers, and rainbows; it's hard work. I don't think I've sweat as much as I have in the past three days. I also am not sure what kind of allergic reaction I'm having to the mounds of old blown-in wool insulation that keeps falling all over me, but it's red and it's itchy. I have more bumps and bruises, scrapes, and sore muscles than I have ever had in my life, and we seem to be living in perpetual dust. But, you know what? It's still awesome. Three cheers for hard labor!