Today we have spent all day painting the walls and ceiling in our living room.  Covering the tired magnolia paint with a fresh bright look it was tedious at times but so worth doing. A few hours with a can of paint, lots of chatting as we worked and a transformed living space has meant we ended the day a bit tired and achy but with a feeling of achievement.  Tomorrow we will add colour with stripy wallpaper and a new fire, and we will again feel satisfied with our labour.

Before we could start painting we first had to empty the room.  A years worth of clutter, toys and magazines, precious photographs and ornaments carefully lifted and moved to safety  Without these things the room looks empty, but so spacious.  We will have to choose carefully what will go back into the clean bright room, for sure and sure can be we will add more clutter as the years go by.

It strikes me that we should look to brightening our lives wherever we can.  Every now and then to take the time to sort the clutter, to remove things we no longer need and to choose what we wish to keep. We must pay attention to the life we are living, try not to be so busy living that we forget to make a life.

By brightening our world we will feel better, by being careful to see the light and bright and to be brave enough to remove the dull and the dusty that will drag us down.  Pick your colours carefully, chose to surround yourself with lovely things you enjoy and spend time with those people who bring out your shine