I love my cabin.  Yet every time I look around our 6,000 square foot lot, I see a multitude of things that need to be done: dock needs to be replaced; deck needs to be stained; weathered lattice needs to be painted; yard needs some shrubs for added privacy; the lawn needs to be re-seeded; and the piles of driftwood lining the shore should be burned.  The “to-do” list is endless and exhausting.  It seems we spend all our precious time trying to enhance the cottage’s physical appearance.  And those are just the outside jobs.

This past weekend was no exception.  Saturday and Sunday were spent washing and waxing the boat, weeding the flower beds and cleaning the cabin’s floors. Ugggggggg.  I am worn out from all the work; I almost can’t wait to go home where I pay people to do these things for me.

As far as cottage improvements go, I know I am not alone.  A recent Cottage Life Webpoll found that 54% of respondents were expanding or doing some kind of project.  Walking down our cottage road, I discover many of my neighbors hard at work with their own renovations.  In fact, it’s hard to find a cabin that’s not under construction.

When and how did we become so obsessed with our recreational appearance? Has need for perfection manifested itself in our homes and weekend retreats? Are we driving ourselves crazy trying to make them look good?

Cobi Ladner, Editor of Canadian House & Home magazine, cited an alarming trend.  Many of the homeowners featured in their publication divorced after their renovations were completed.  Does our obsession for perfection make us crazy, and what happens when there is nothing left to fix?

As a perfectionist, I tend to focus on the negative, when I really should be focusing on the positive: the rugged mountains that surround our lake, the tall cedars that blanket the water’s shore, the bald eagles skimming the water hunting for fish, and the deer grazing along the road.  I am not going to find any of these featured in “top decorating trends for 2007,” yet this is what makes cabin living so special to me. 

In an attempt to save my sanity and my marriage, I am going to rip up this year’s to-do list and make a new one.  Topping the list will be: have fun and focus on the positive.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 4:15 am and is filed under Fix It. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.