When I look out my window, the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" comes to mind. I don’t care what the song says about cuddling in front of the fire. It’s so cold outside that no fireplace – fake or real – is going to make me feel warmer. Icicles are hanging from the gutters and frost frames the windows. The snow is still piled up from yesterday. It won’t go anywhere soon. That’s certainly not what I want to see. I can’t even focus anymore on the beautiful Christmas tree we had; it went into storage already for another year.
I’ll tell you what I am going to do, and you can come along too. You won’t regret it. I’m going to the Pink Palace, a little room in the house where magic happens. Plans called for it to be a guest room, but no one has stayed there since the pandemic began, so I made it mine.
The hot pink walls and trimmings make it feel warm and cheery from the moment I walk in and sit down. I’m as snug as a bug in a rug and warm as toast on cold winter mornings. I go there every day after devotions and breakfast. Soft, sheer white curtains greet me too as I step into the room and look around me. I’m in a happy place.
The Pink Palace has everything I need to write my stories starting with my little wood computer desk crammed with memorabilia. There are knick-knacks, pictures of friends and family, and small souvenirs surrounding it. When I look around, they beckon me – like old friends – for a minute and make me smile.
Life’s Little Instructions wall plaques hang nearby so I can read them for more reminders of my blessings. The candy tin is handy at my feet just in case its needed, and tiny shelving units hold other treasures I like to see sometimes too.
In addition to my writing desk, there’s a secretary desk I’ve always loved and an ivory china cabinet with a collection of favorite china in the room too. A “teardrop” floor lamp from Target that, from a distance, looks like “Tiffany” stands in the corner, and a fantastic hot pink swivel chair awaits to transport me around the room when I need it. A hide-a-bed lines one wall, so every inch of the Pink Palace is covered. When I say, “I can’t complain with my mouth full,” you can easily guess it refers to my Pink Palace.
Why not create a palace for yourself too? It doesn’t have to be a whole room; maybe a small niche with a folding screen in front of it would do. Make it – and all its trimmings – portable if possible, so it could be moved if necessary.
I’m picturing it already and know you can do it. Have fun!
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