I feel like last year's word of the year was "pivot." After 

we lost our cabin in a tragic fire in February, we were staring at a yearlong project list for a home that no longer existed. We pivoted (and grieved), staying busy by making over a friend's kitchen. We started looking at houses — would we buy something we could flip? Did we even believe in a "forever home" any more?     

      We bought our modern cottage in June (almost a year ago!), a home we could see ourselves living in for a long, long time, and started a new project list. But plans for the dining room quickly shifted — we'd need permits to make the closed-in porch into an official addition. A bonus room upstairs that we thought would be a family room is turning into a master closet. The 

sectional we custom ordered for our home office — really belonged in the basement family room. (And that family room wants to grow up to be a little home theater.)     

       We were planning to paint the exterior stucco and stone of our home and moody color when the contractor found black mold. BIG pivot! 

       We had big plans (and hired some help) to start our 

master bathroom on April 1— and then the world shut down. This pandemic pause has reminded us, again, how to be adaptable. Change will come. Sometimes, we have to pivot. Sometimes, we have to pause. But, hopefully, what comes out of the unexpected is better than what we were planning. 

PLOT TWIST! ( in a good way )

GAME CHANGERS

A:

Whatever you value — invest in that. You've been home more than ever: Where are the pain points? Is there a project that deserves that budget more than another? We've shifted gears, prioritizing our outdoor space because that's one of the only places we could "go" in the last two months. Budgeting for projects is very responsible. It's okay if you want to change the project now that you've had time to sit with your plans. But you deserve to love where you live. 

Make that essential.