MAPS ON THE WALL

This most lovely of pictures is page three of Pottery Barn's February 2011 catalog.  I love Pottery Barn catalogs, look forward to receiving Pottery Barn catalogs, and devour them at the first opportunity.  With great anticipation I opened this issue--which obviously exposed page three immediately and exclaimed, "Holy Cow!  Maps on the wall!"  Then I mused, "Maps on the wall..."  Finally I shouted to myself, "MAPS ON THE WALL!!"

I know about maps on the wall.  I know all about maps on the wall.  Back in the early 1970s I pasted maps onto the wall of our little dining area.  National Geographic maps in my case (free with the magazine), not "old nautical maps and illustrations" as recommended by Pottery Barn, but maps nonetheless.  I was gutsy in those days, but now I'm extremely concerned as to when I lost that fearless creativity and began to quiver each time I consider changing our paint color from light beige to medium beige.  I'm absolutely paralyzed with anxiety that I will totally screw up, and it seems impossible that I did what I did over the years to my houses, and never lost a minute's worth of sleep.

Now, just in case you're thinking "Yeah sure, you put maps on your wall and were creative at some point in your life"--here's proof.  I believe this photo was dated April 10, 1974--Daughter Denise's twelfth birthday.  Take a look...

These were the days when Denise was known as "Denise the Great" by her two younger sisters--Mickie on the left and Kristi.  But, ignore those cute young children for the moment, and please note the maps, the two "nautical" pictures hung at "navel" (get it?) level.  Maps...ships...blue accents!?!  I was good in those days--coordinated in those days and--Oh, Good Lord--I was preggers in those days!

As silly as it sounds, this situation is really a serious concern for me.  In 1974--actually, even a few years before--I could have worked for Pottery Barn, had there been a Pottery Barn.  It truly bothers me that I've lost that spark, that daring, that confidence.  We're going to keep this issue on the table and work through it...for some reason, this seems important!