““Instead of seeing imperfections as thorns in my decorating flesh, I want to open my eyes and see them as signs of life. These messes all stem from gifts in my life. I still clean the mud off shoes (or make my boys do it), but I also know that if a neighbor walked in and saw a trail of mud, I wouldn’t need to be embarrassed. It’s just proof of lives being lived, and houses are for living. My home is a reflection of our life, and life’s messes can be gloriously beautiful.””
![“I have, for my own projected works and ideas, only the silliest and dewiest of hopes; no matter what, I am romantic enough or sentimental enough to wish to contribute something to life’s fabric, to the world’s beauty… [S]imply to live does not justify existence, for life is a mere gesture on the…” quote by Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/frank-o-hara-6706_beautiful_i-have-for-my-own-projected-works-and-id_2863598.jpg)
![“Safely connected to my life, and reassured of my essential goodness, I feel at ease, at home, really in the most sublime of homes. [p. 58]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1a5/sylvia-boorstein-7241_life_safely-connected-to-my-life-and-reassure_2016161.jpg)
