Decorating is a multi-billion pound industry. In the U.K. alone it was estimated that we would spend over £8 billion on DIY each year by 2017.
We are encouraged to express our personality through colours and styles. Long-gone are the days where, to quote Henry Ford on the production of his first model-T car, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” Go into any DIY store today with a piece of fabric, or some other colour sample, and they’ll match and mix up the exact colour paint for you.
What lies behind the bright, fresh colours? If we take a deeper look, is everything as cheery as it first appears?
I recently had a plasterer come to make some of the walls in my house look good. I am not much good as a brickie, but in preparation for his arrival I bricked up a disused fireplace. The final result, although functional was not pretty. “It’s not the best brickwork ever” I commented.
“That’s why you’re paying a plasterer; to make it look like excellent brickwork.”
If you were to visit my house today you have would no idea that there is any dodgy brick-work. What is true about the wall just behind my fresh plastered and painted wall is true of many things in life. We have no idea what is just beneath the surface.
In early 2016 a small rural community not far from where I live was rocked by a murder. Who could have known that there were tensions below the surface that would cause one of the friendly villagers to take the life of his wife?
Whilst your relationships may not be at breaking point, it is always worth considering what state they’re in. Have you been brushing concerns under the carpet. Are your attempts at something simply a covering of cracks? Do you need to chip away the plaster and repair what is broken so that you can build something that will last a life-time?
What can you do today to make your marriage, or other relationships, better?
