Kindness

I want to thank everyone for their wonderful support and encouragement regarding my upcoming book.  It is really more for you than me and I can’t wait until you can see it.  I also appreciate all the kind words regarding my apartment.  It’s taken a lot of work to get it where it is and will take more work to get it finished but I am really happy in my new space. 

It’s funny how things can change so quickly.  Just a week ago, I had one of those periods that every blogger experiences.  I lost my mojo and was feeling uninspired.  A rude comment from someone berating my grammar didn’t help.  Mind you, he didn’t politely point out my error so I could fix it.  I would have welcomed that help. His comment was on the heels of a nasty email from a reader who was upset that I didn’t post her other comment immediately or take down the photo she demanded be removed because a flag was hung incorrectly.  I guess she didn’t know or care that I was out of the city visiting my family and trying to recharge my batteries by not being on the computer. 

Those can’t top the two accidental replies that I received yesterday in response to my apartment photos.  The subscribers meant to forward the emails to their friends but instead sent their comments to me.  They weren’t terrible but it’s interesting how people who don’t put themselves out there are so quick to judge those who do.  They sit behind their computers and post Anonymous comments or worse, email bloggers directly to tell them how much they don’t like their work.  It’s one of the reasons why I don’t like to post my client work.  I don’t need them seeing something written somewhere that hurts their feelings. 

A top interior designer once told me a story about when he was just starting out at a firm.  In those days, shelter magazines were rare and when Architectural Digest arrived, they all stopped and looked at it together.  While reading one issue, he kept commenting about how ugly everything was and he hated it all.  His boss finally stopped him and said that “someone paid for that design so they like it.  A magazine chose to publish it so they also liked it."  One of things that I have always tried to stress is that “to each his own.”  Just because it’s not your style or you would have done something differently, that doesn’t make it wrong. 

I also don’t pretend to be perfect but I do try to see the good in everything or at least be polite  There have been times that I have thought to myself that something was ugly but I certainly didn’t write an entire blog post about it for all to read.  Why is it necessary to be so unkind to strangers online? 

Just as I kept wondering why I continue to blog for people who don’t even appreciate it, I received an email from a friend.  She was in Paris and couldn’t wait to check out the hotel that I just posted.  She also informed me that she was moving out of New York because she was just diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.  That put everything in perspective.  There are a lot more important things in this world that we should be worrying about than whether I misspelled a word or you didn’t like someone’s room. 

She also said, “Your blog makes me happy so keep it up.”  It was always my intention to make Habitually Chic a happy place where you could come to see something pretty or learn something new.  Maybe have a laugh and be inspired as well.  There is nothing I can do for my friend to help her condition but if reading my blog everyday will bring her some sense of happiness during her struggle, then I will definitely continue. 

Her last line read, “Life is short, live everyday to the fullest!”  And to that I add the immortal words of Plato, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”