Friday, May 27, 2011

Own Special Room

Have you ever had your own room? When I was a little, we three girls were put together in a small upstairs bedroom. It was a bit crowded. Then I went to college and I had four roommates in my freshman dorm room. It was a big room, but we had to share closets , desks and chairs that were meant for four people. (One girl left early.) That helped the other side of the room, but not mine.
During that year, something wonderful happened. My mom and dad moved to a bigger, nicer house and that summer, I finally had a room of my own. Mom took me shopping for my pretty turquoise flowered bedspread. I had a little old fashioned wash chest from my grandmother's farm that I put my lamps on. We got "farmhouse" white lace curtains for the window. Oh, it was so wonderful. During the school year, I still shared a room in a dorm, but in the summer, I had my own place at last.

When I graduated, a sorority sister and I moved from Ohio to Michigan and got teaching jobs there. I have been here ever since. We looked everywhere for a place to stay. In those days, there wasn't much housing out in the middle of nowhere, which was where we started up our professional lives. Finally we found a darling cottage on a lake which we could use for the school year. Then we would have to go home for the summer. We each got our own rooms. Mine had a high bed and a 50s style vanity with a huge round mirror, drawers on either side, a stool in the middle and a flat place on top for whatever. There were two gorgeous cut glass lamps for me and I added my own doilies under them. I had a box for special keepsakes and a hamper for my clothes with a top where I always put the classic novel I was reading for the day.

I loved the movie Oliver! that was out then and I put pictures from that movie on my walls. I loved my adorable little "attic" room and I had it for four years.

Then I got married and I was happy to decorate and share our wonderful new room. After 30 plus years at the house we had built, we got a manufactured home. Now I share a room and also have a darling extra room or two for fixing up and making special. I hope everyone has a chance to have their very own place, at least once in their lives.

7 comments:

  1. I got my own room when I was around 8 or 9 -- only because my mom remarried and he had a daughter my sister's age, so they were elected to share a room, since they were younger. For a while I had a whole house to myself but I found that isn't much fun when it's all the time. Once you're married and/or have a family, you grow to cherish those rare times when you have the house all to yourself!

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  2. I always had my own room when I was a kid. I only had one sister so that wasn't a problem. Then I got married and have had to share a room for the past 39 years :-)

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  3. I've had my own room a lot growing up. My brothers shared a room and I had my own. Even when I went to college I didn't have to share a dorm room my first year because my roommate dropped out early.

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  4. I've had my own room but I've also shared. Just depended what house we lived in at the time. :-) Sounds like having your own room was a real treat!

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  5. I only had my own room for one year of my entire life! It was when I was completing my internship for my college degree. But it was awesome. I even had a similar freshman college experience as you did, Nancy. There were five of us crammed between two bedrooms!

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  6. I love sharing my room with my hus of 36 years, but I have my own office, which is a great place to be alone.

    I played the Widow Corny in Oliver! when I was in high school. What a great musical!

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  7. Jeanette - That must have been so much fun. There are some great songs from that show. I just got the CD not long ago. It brings back so many memories of when I had the vinyl record in the early 70's. The movie and the stage show are both great.

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