I moved into my grandmother’s house in February. 7 months later, I find myself still moving in.

My grandparents never actually lived in this house, and I'm the first person in our family to make it a home. They bought it over 20 years ago as an investment property — as a resource their children and their children could share.

I feel so blessed to be reaping the harvest of the seeds they planted so many years ago.

After a decade of moving between cities and homes, having this space feels like an answered prayer. I've known for a while that I needed a homebase. This house is a true manifestation — the result of visioning, prayer, determination, and faith.

Getting settled here has been a process. It's an old (old) house, so that means there have been a lot of plot twists and unexpected challenges.  Still, I love it deeply. It feels like home. It feels like mine.

I want to share a recent experience that reminded me how important it is to ebb and flow with the spaces we occupy.

Last week, I decided to switch the guest bedroom (/office/studio/playroom) with my bedroom. 

When I moved in, I decided on the placement of the rooms based on the quality of light.

The room I initially chose as the “guest/office” room is bigger and much brighter during the day. It made sense to me that the sunnier room would be a hub of activity — the place where I did most of my working, living, playing, etc. 

"What else do I need to do in my bedroom but sleep?" I thought.  I figured the smaller and less sunny room would be most appropriate for my bedroom.

But since moving in, so much has changed.

When I chose the smaller room, I was not yet co-parenting my 4-year-old niece. (If you haven’t heard, I started sharing childcare responsibilities for my sister’s youngest child with my mom a few months ago. You can read a little more about that here.)

When I chose the smaller room,  I was working with a company and creating audio content almost weekly, and I needed designated office space for all of my recording equipment.

When I chose the smaller room, I was in a long-distance relationship and spent most of my nights sleeping alone.

None of these are my truths anymore. In just a few short months, three foundational aspects of my life changed.

A few weeks ago, I looked around my house and realized the way things were just didn’t make sense for the life I’m living now. The truth is: 

When your life changes, your space must change with it.

As you evolve internally, things in your external world must — and will — evolve as well.

Now, with half of my week spent with a four-year-old who takes up a LOT of space (and likes to regularly rehearse “five little monkeys jumping on the bed”🙄), having the smaller room doesn't make sense.

Now, with more of my time dedicated to personal projects instead of collabs, I don’t need a spacious studio/office space.  Work takes up less of my time  (thank God), and it needs to take up less of my physical space as well.

Now, in a season of releasing patterns and relationships that are no longer in alignment with my current needs and desires, I want more room for dreaming, resting, and simply being at home with myself.

Maryam Hasnaa writes, “Your home is an extension of your energy field. This is why practices like cleaning your home, rearranging furniture, organizing your closet and getting rid of objects that are cluttering your space can have a profound impact on your own mind, body and spirit.” 

With this in mind, I invite you to consider the following reflections:
 

If not, no worries. You'll get there.

To get yourself going, choose one physical space is uniquely yours  — a corner, a closet, a bedroom — and ask: what adjustments can I make in this space, so that it mirrors what is most important in my life right now? 

If that fills big, you can ask: What small changes can I make in my home, so that I am surrounded by windows into the life (and the self) I am creating?

You can think of this as a physical or environmental vision board. Figure out what adjustments you can make to the space so that it provides motivation, inspiration, or a reminder of the beautiful, magnificent life you are moving towards.

Rearranging, decluttering and beautifying your space (starting with your bedroom) is about more than just “aesthetics.” Altering your physical environment can be a way to align yourself with who you are now and who you are becoming.

With love,
Jamila

PS: As always, I love to hear from you. Feel free to write back to say hi, or to share your thoughts or reflections. More soon! xo