When I was six, my mother asked how I wanted my bedroom to look. I said I wanted pink walls and a Strawberry Shortcake bed.

She bought a character-branded sleeping bag, which she then unzipped to cover the bed, and then she painted the room a shade of pink so tasteful that it was essentially white. I was thrilled with my bed, and first-grader heartbroken over the walls.

A few decades later, when my ex moved out, one of my first thoughts was, “Screw it. I’m painting the bedroom pink.”  I wrote on Mighty Girl  that my bedroom has been saying two things about me in the time since:

1. I haven’t been spending much time on myself.

2. I used to live here with someone else.

That first one explains why I haven’t thrown myself into redecorating my private space. The second one? It’s been nearly two years since “our apartment” became “my apartment,” but it still looks mostly the same. And if you’ve ever been through a breakup or divorce, you know that living in an echo is pretty sexy. No wait. Depressing? I mean depressing. I get those confused.

But today Olay  is giving me a kick in the bum, and some much-needed help reclaiming my bedroom. They’ve hired my friend Victoria Smith from SF Girl by Bay  to help me choose paint swatches, and light fixtures, and organizational whatsits.

We’re revamping my room as a gift to myself for Valentine’s Day, which is apropos, because the walls are going to be pink enough to make Cupid question my taste levels.

What do you think about the idea of your house as a metaphor for where you are? And what’s your house saying about you?

(Photo Source)