Sonata

As my roller covered the last of the minty green paint I could not help but recall when I had first chosen the color for Isabelle's baby room. I was so thrilled to be planning her room ... to be making it "just so." It was bright and cheerful, and hopeful and happy, exactly how I felt... exactly what I hoped Isabelle would feel in her room. Now, here I was years later saying good-bye to it with a much more subdued shade, something called "earthy cane." Isabelle's baby room was becoming our office, and we were moving Isabelle into the larger room next door to accommodate the full bed she was getting moved into .... no more toddler bed for the big girl. Frankly, she was long overdue to be out of it and we had simply put it off in the hopes that perhaps we would sell the house before necessitating switching rooms. No such luck.

So, here I was painting over the first of many stages. I would be lying to say I did not feel a slight twinge at the thought of her growing up and leaving behind that baby room. Seeing Isabelle that first evening tucked into her "big bed," so proud of all her space and multiple pillows with room for Mindy, our cat to join her if she wanted, I realized how quickly time goes. I glanced around the space and suddenly could envision it a few more years down the road with posters on the walls, school books scattered on the floor, nail polish bottles on the dresser, and clothes draped over the foot board of the bed. What color would the walls be then?

This weekend I will paint Isabelle's new bedroom the color of her choice, a robin's egg's blue. A lovely, calm, serene color that makes you dream of summer days and sail boats on a lazy lake. The store called the color, in a rather grand fashion, "sonata." However, I kind of like the name as a sonata can be a rather complicated musical composition in that it contains three to four independent movements that vary in key, mood, and tempo .... much like my beautiful daughter herself. Each movement is like a stage, separate and yet connected in theme to the whole. Yes, the color is perfect, very Isabelle. I got to pick the first time around but from here on out it will be Isabelle's choice every time we redo her room. After all, this is her life to live, her musical composition to write, her sonata.