Neighboring

When we moved here, we changed our plans for our third bedroom. We intended to make it a home gym, and I had a whole Pinterest board ready to go with decorating ideas and inspirations. But before we even finished painting rooms, we changed our minds.

We decided we wanted a guest room.

It seemed silly, in some ways, because we don't have a lot of far-out-of-town friends. Most of the people who would come to visit live within easy driving distance. Even while we drove to IKEA to pick out the bed for the room, I wondered if we were investing wisely in this square of space in our house.

A gym, we would use every day. It would benefit us.

A guest room, we would use now and then, probably mostly then...and while it would be more fun to make a cozy guest room than a gym, I just wasn't sure.

I'm sure now.

 A couple of months ago, we had our first guest: Ryan's mom. She had just been released from the hospital and stayed with us for a few days while she regained her strength. I loved being able to offer her privacy and rest.

Mo {you remember Mo, right? Our amazing sleeper couch?} is great, and we love sleeping on it now and then, but when you have company, it's nice to be able to offer a room...with a door.

After the tornadoes came through on Wednesday, we were fortunate that we still had power when over 20,000 in town did not. We had lights and air conditioning, wifi and more TV channels than we could possibly watch.

So we offered our humble little guest space to one of Ryan's co-workers. She showed up late in the evening, and I have to admit, that guest room looked inviting even to me! The little lamps were glowing, and I'd scribbled a message on the reclaimed window we added to the wall after the photo above was taken.

We sat around in the living room for a while, where I was a perfectly LOUSY hostess, nodding off to sleep {a day of hyperventilating can sure take a lot out of a person!} while she talked with Ryan.

I loved going to sleep knowing we'd been able to help someone by sharing what we have. I loved waking up and answering the door to one of my other friend who needed a place to shower and get ready for work, since her house was without power too.

It's not a bed and breakfast. {I offered breakfast to both but they both declined. Perhaps I should work on my cooking skills!} I ran around with bedhead and clutched my coffee cup like I do on any other day of the week. I asked stupid questions and struggled to comprehend in the early morning moments. But even though I wasn't a polished hostess, I loved being a neighbor.

Throughout the day, I saw glimpses of the city neighboring in their own ways. There were, of course, all the things you would expect after a tornado. People hauled clothing and food to shelters and drop-off points, guys with chain saws looked for trees in need of removal. But there was more. The city schools closed for the day, so a bunch of high school students used their free day to clean up debris. A handful of people put clothing, pantry items, and free lunches on tables outside their houses for volunteers and those affected. A coffee shop gave free coffee to officers.

That was neighboring. Each of us doing our own little things to impact a life or two around us. And for Shafferland, it meant opening our home, and I loved it. I loved being close enough TO help.

I'm so glad we did a guest room instead of a gym. I think it's my way of neighboring.