The candle is burning.  The cream and sugar with a touch of coffee is warm.  The iphone plays relaxing music.  The books, journals and pens are all at arms reach.  Serenity's Citrus Kiss aromatherapy fills the air.  This is my space.  Oh yeah, and I sit in a $5 yard-sale-purchased comfy and shabby-chic cute chair!  (I love getting a good deal...not only because I didn't have to spend a lot of money, but also for the story of it, and the lovely little flea-market style.  And BTW, if you think that's a good deal, I've accomplished even better, like the time I purchased two pieces of art, signed by the artist, for ONE DOLLAR each.)

Ok, but I'm getting off topic...don't get me started on yard sales, apparently.  My point is that this is my new "corner of my own," my very first quiet place designed by me, for me.  And I can't tell you how much I needed it and how much I'm now loving it.  In a 1200 square foot, shoebox of a house, I carved this tiny space.  Forever I knew I needed a personal piece of the house, but I couldn't figure out how.  It was just too tight.  We were already busting at the seams.  I finally decided to move some dressers around, and though it's not perfect- I don't really like the complete wall-to-wall furniture in the guest room- I can deal.  When I found my $5 chair, I just knew it was meant to be!!  And so now my space consists of a small bookshelf and a chair.  (And, of course, all my trinkets, collages, books, etc)  Sounds so simple, and yet this little sanctuary nurtures me daily in a way I had not known.  

All of us, I now realize more fully, need this nourishment- a way to relax and refresh in our hurried days.  Creating, literally, a teeny tiny corner in my room, makes that statement real for me.  Yeah, yeah, I could agree with that before my space was built, but now I have a physical manifestation.  A tangible place to go, and for everyone to see and to respect my need for daily moments of solitude. I feel like I'm honoring myself.  I'm listening to the heart (who told me "stillness speaks" if you remember from previous blogs) and being rewarded.

So even if you're as tight on money as you are on space, take it from me, you can create something out of nothing.  I seriously didn't think I had the room.  But somehow, it's here.  When you find a quiet place for yourself, sustaining your inner life, you return to the outer life refreshed and everything along with you is renewed.