Room decorations are weird. Specifically, the things you hang on your wall are weird. 

Think about it. You’re choosing to hang things on the certain walls you’ll spend the most time staring at, and yet, after a certain point you become inure to them and stop actively noticing them. 

Calendars and bulletin boards may be the exceptions, since the date changes every day and you should regularly update your bulletin board (or similar wall space) with timely reminders. 

But otherwise, do you really take stock of the things that are hanging on your walls? 

The N-95 mask that’s still hanging in front of my chalkboard with an outdated countdown to Christmas and the 18 Post-It notes on the wall above for drafting a new writing piece over the summer indicate that I certainly don’t.

After I got my room in my preferred order, I stopped thinking about my wall decor.

I don’t look at the photos I hang until I realize there’s someone I’d like to see more often, and doing so in person isn’t feasible. I use my calendar every day, but even then, I still forget to mark when I last changed my contact lenses and have to recount all the days that passed since my last note to make sure I’m on track. I still don’t give much thought to my wall decor—until I invite a new friend over and realize how much of a mess my Post-Its make my wall look. 

I’ve had a fair number of people over at my place this year, which is new for me, since my college apartment was a single bedroom and I’m a high-key introvert.

But since I’ve gotten my own space, my yearnings to emulate a suburban housewife by baking food for and hosting people have grown stronger. I’ve begun opening my door to more friends, and their accompanying commentary about my decor. 

I’m curious, because everyone who’s come over always has at least one comment. I find it interesting simply because I’ve been to friends’ places for the first time, and no one makes any observations about it, even if it’s their first time there. Even I don’t make comments about everyone’s places, and I’m nosy. 

But at any rate, people always comment, and it’s consistently been something nice: “Oh, I like that the dining space is separate from the living room.” “Ooh, your pillows are so cute!” “What’s that a poster of?” “Did you make those?” “It’s really minimalist, I like it.” “It’s super cozy.” 

When I’m walking from my bedroom to the kitchen every morning to make breakfast, I definitely don’t think about how cozy or minimalist my place looks, nor the luxury of having a separate dining nook.

It’s nice to be taken out of my mind for a bit, and to be reminded of the views I can enjoy, the views I take for granted, and the views I expect to have—particularly during the holidays, when I have plenty of Christmas decorations around my apartment to enjoy.

I suppose this is also incentive for me to print some new photos, replace my planning Post-Its, and update my countdown chalkboard before the year’s over… Cheers to the new year!