A fresh coat of paint
A couple of years ago when I came back to Georgia after leaving Vermont, I was barely getting by. Emotionally. Financially. In almost every way. This little place where Jaycee and I live now looked very different back then — light walls, a white door that blended in, and sunflowers trying their best to add some personality.
The walls were pale. Which, if I’m honest, matched the season of life I was in. I hadn’t rebuilt my life yet. I was just trying to stand back up after everything that had happened with Eddie. Yes, Eddie. I’ve never used his name here before. One day I looked at the front of the place and thought: This needs to pop. Not because the structure needed to change. Because I needed the energy to change. So I did something interesting. I asked AI to help me choose colors. It suggested the teal trim and the darker door — and I ended up changing the wall color too. Once I started painting, something shifted. With every brushstroke the place felt a little less temporary and a little more like mine. And then there’s the dachshund above the window. A friend told me the simple line drawing is actually based on a sketch by Picasso — inspired by his dachshund named Lump. Which makes me smile every time I see it. A tiny house. Turns out that was exactly the right combination for this season of my life. Sometimes starting over doesn’t mean rebuilding everything. Sometimes it just means changing the energy of the place you’re standing in. Jaycee, of course, seems perfectly happy with the results. She supervises from the gravel out front like she owns the place. Which… to be fair… she probably does. Jane Quick question for you Just hit reply — I’d love to hear about it. — — — A quiet companion to the Sunday Letter If you enjoy reflecting on the ideas in these letters, I’ve created a small companion called Jaycee’s Resilience Pack. Each Sunday it includes:
Nothing to keep up with |
The Jane & Jaycee Project
Practical wisdom for women starting over.
Someone left a comment on one of my posts this week. I had shared how I used AI to help me find the perfect flowers for my container garden. The colors I wanted. The light conditions on my porch. The combinations that would actually work together. I was pleased with myself, honestly. The comment said: You could also look this up on some gardening sites instead of using AI. You would probably get more ideas. Be careful how much AI you use because not thinking things through with your brain has...
This week I did something that scared me. I sat down at my desk and put together a set of legal interrogatories for an upcoming contempt case. By myself. No attorney. Just me, my documents, and AI walking alongside me every step of the way. I stopped having legal representation a while back. The cost made that decision for me. And for a long time, I wasn't sure what that meant for my case. Whether I could really do this without someone in my corner who knew what they were doing. I've been...
Jaycee at Home Depot. Same as everywhere. Hi friend, Jaycee doesn't calculate. She sees someone new and she goes. Jaycee does this everywhere she goes. The neighborhood. Home Depot. Strangers she's never met. Last week our neighborhood got some new neighbors. Before I could even think about what to say or when to introduce myself, Jaycee had already made her move. She ran over, rolled onto her side, and made those little squealing sounds she makes when she's so happy she can't contain it. And...