Instinct

The extra bedroom in our home of 10+ years is designated as “the den,” though realistically, it’s “my office." It was outfitted with a 1980s Cargo living room set and office furniture--do you remember—the furniture that was designed with wooden crates as the inspiration? Well last month, I said good-bye to it in preparation for my “brand new office/den!”

Still in the beginning stages, much of the design has been decided and the floor has been changed. The walls have also been painted.

Is it just me, or are you particular about having the perfect color on your walls, too? I’ll try to make this color selection story short. Here goes:

A friend loans me her color fan so that I can choose a green color for the walls of my highly anticipated “nature” themed room. Anyway, after looking at 50 shades of green in sunlight, cloudiness, home lighting at night, and even comparing the color chips to leaves from outdoors, I select a color. Let’s call it Color A.

Because of a bout with the flu (and life), I was way behind in getting the paint, which turned out to be the day before my painter friend was scheduled to come over. No problem though—Color A was sure to be “it.”

So I come home with my Home Depot sample that was color matched, paint a big square on the wall and it is not “it.”  Dropping a dab on the paint chip that I gave them verifies that the so-called color matching didn’t work; that there is a pinch more yellow in the paint than there should be. However, because it’s still nature-ish, I don’t rule it out, but feel that another test is needed.

Off to another store—a paint store. The dreaded “too much yellow” steers me to a different hue of green. After all, a few weeks ago, a designer in a furniture store had warned me about choosing green paint with “too much yellow” in it.

Frustrated, but determined, I choose another color (Color B) that has more blue (I guess) in it. Back home, a sample of it goes on the wall. Nice color, but not “it.”

“Just lighten it,” I say to myself.

To the store, get a sample (Color C), get it on the wall, not “it.” Too minty. My daughter says it would be good for a baby’s nursery.

It’s night now and Alfred comes tomorrow morning. A thought occurs to me: Go to the store that sells the color fan brand of paint and try my original selection again.

At 7:15 a.m., I’m at the store buying Color D. No time for a sample;  gotta get a gallon and trust my instinct.

Back home, I slap some on the wall before Alfred gets here. My gut says, “That’s IT!”

As Alfred is painting, I get a little apprehensive, but then excited, as I watch my contractor white walls change to a beautiful and earthy green—the green that was supposedly Color A.

I'm back at the store for the second gallon (less than 2 miles from home). While the paint is mixing, I tell the store guy what I’ve been through in the last 20 hours. He says that I should have come here first and saved time and $15. My paint would have been mixed right and that would have been it.

Would it have been?

Yes. I was confident that I’d chosen the right color in the beginning. It’s amazing, though, how unexpected factors and circumstances can break confidence.  I got off track in the process by a simple little pinch of yellow, but the main lessons I’ve learned (again) is to do things before “the last minute” and that I should continue to trust my instincts.

Afterword:

My “paint” story is simplistic. Major issues have to be decided upon based on facts, conjecture, supposition, or instincts. My mother and I made a difficult decision to miss the funeral of a beloved relative. Instincts told us that flying 3 planes (2 connections) to get there, in addition to other traveling uncertainties during this busy “Spring Break” week might not be the best thing to do.

Today, a neighbor told me that he and his wife made a decision about her cancer treatment. They also had to trust their instincts after hearing options that have no guarantees.

We don’t always get it right, but it’s nice when we do.

Do you trust your inner voice and/or have feelings about where it comes from?