Refreshed room, refreshed mind

Dolores Hans
MSMU class of 2025

(3/2025) When I was younger, my dad would always try out new ways of moving around the furniture in the living room. Early on Saturday mornings he would wake up, put on music, and move around the furniture. I can still hear "The Sound of Silence" and "Africa" blasting through the house if I close my eyes and I see my dad in a t-shirt and cargo shorts, holding a tape measure up to the wall trying to see if the couch can move from one wall to another. Sometimes I would come back from a day at a friend’s house or a camping trip and the living room would look completely different. Even though this habit of his would usually mean chores like sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming, there was an element of excitement for me when he would get the urge to change it up. Knowing that there were a hundred ways the room could be reconfigured, the endless possibilities, and also a chance for a deep clean and fresh perspective. Somewhere down the line, I took on this habit for myself. I would have a day off from school and I would rearrange the living room after cleaning it for my mom. I’d not be able to fall asleep at night so I would move my bed to the other side of the room. When my little sister and I would share a bunk bed, I’m not even ashamed to admit, I tricked her many times into switching from top to bottom and bottom to top once I got tired of where I was.

Now I don’t know why I have this tendency, but I do know that it is more of a need than just a thing to do. It’s like scratching that itch on your back you can’t quite reach. It’s like when the tea is cooled down just enough to where it’s hot but not scalding. It’s like when you release the valve on a pressure cooker and the steam comes pouring out. It’s like the biggest sigh of relief.

For me, changing the furniture is almost too clearly a metaphor for my mental health. When things get too cluttered, too mundane, or even just the same for too long, it needs a refresh. When the furniture is moved around, it’s like a whole new place.

The thing about this need for me is that if I’m not moving around furniture, I’m cutting my hair. I’ve noticed both of these acts are a pattern in my life. I’ve cut my bangs twice in my life and cut off many inches throughout the years. I’ve cut layers and face framing pieces, and sometimes even a friend or my sister’s hair if they’d let me.

This past weekend, I reached a new point. Not only did I move the furniture on Saturday, but I gave myself bangs on Sunday. I usually operate at an either/or pace with at least a few months in between acts. But in one weekend I had a freshly cleaned and designed living room, and a haircut I thought I had left in 2020.

My boyfriend doesn’t understand why I feel the need to do these things. He is very content with the same lunch each day, listening to the same 10 songs, and is generally not a fan of change. Me? I think I thrive in it. Well, changes that I have control over anyway. The furniture and haircuts are just a physical manifestation of the desire I have for change in my mind.

I think that when I feel stuck, either in big life decisions or even just my daily routine, I feel powerless. Changing around the furniture allows me to take what I know about the room and what’s in it, make a plan, and execute it all while decluttering the space and making it new. It’s a new perspective, an opportunity for motivation, a way to use my creativity, and an outlet for healthy control.

There is nothing more nostalgic and relaxing than waking up on a Saturday, putting on some yacht rock, lip syncing with my broom as I sweep the empty floors, and then putting the furniture in a totally new location.

My family moved into a new house, one where the couch alone takes up half the living room, so there’s not many ways the furniture can be moved around. This reality is hard for me, but the truth is that I don’t really mind because it is a new house so that feeling of newness is still there. I’m also not there that often so each time I go back, my dad has already found something new to switch up or add to the space, which makes it all the more exciting for me. I guess I take after him.

I’ll be graduating in May and moving back home for about a year to save money before getting married, and while I’m home I will be sharing a room with my little sister again. I’m not going to lie, I am already thinking of all the ways the furniture in her room can be adjusted. But I guess we will see once I move back. Maybe if I can’t move things around because the room is so small, I can at least try to trick her into switching from the top to the bottom bunk when I get bored of it.