open doors.

from day one with "new friends", every morning, 9am. doors flung open to meet the day, smiling neighbors on the other side.

two weeks later, with a comfortable, settled summer routine it may not be 9am every morning, but this is what our view is like somewhere in the midst of a 12 hour day. whether it's during the usual morning brew, the lunchtime rush, immediately after naps, or while dinners are simmering on stove tops...our apartment space doubles in size simply by opening the doors. what a joy to be able to warmly say, "come on in!" every day.

not only do i love when days greet me with friendships, smiling faces, and the promise of my coffeepot working by the sweet aroma in the air, but i also kinda love when i accomplish something with absolutely no intention of doing it in the first place. exhibit A: our junk drawer.

like any morning, i must have needed something out of that dreaded corner drawer {probably a pen, a crumpled note, or someones phone number}. as i struggled to simply open it, my frustration was creeping its way into destroying the morning ambiance i was trying to create. my coffee was almost ready and our front door already wide open {another reason not to blow my top...cause you know me *wink}.

and then i just started, like a good habit kicking in. i started to organize one piece at a time - one little paper clip. one large rubber band. one expired coupon. one tiny wrench. one bag of nails - at a time. voila! about an hour later, i had conquered the looming project. the uncontrollable had been controlled.

there are several reasons i love that our door is always propped open to neighbors and friendly visitors, but two stick out to me today. first, it causes me to be even more organized with my life. the more people stop by and see , the more likely i am compelled to pick up and keep things tidy {the unintentional quickly becoming the intentional}. second, it gets me up and going. not to say, there have been several mornings {like today} that innocent eyes behold my morning glory {poor things didn't have a chance *smile}. and trust me, that says a lot. i don't go prancing around in my baggy pj's and poofy hair for just anyone.