Hinges

"So what kind of hinges do we want?" Kevin asked the other night.

I was shocked. I had to have opinions about hinges? We looked through an online catalog and saw options like brushed nickel, satin nickel, etc. I had never cared about anything less in my life.

You know who does have opinions about hinges? Matthew. The other day he was eating a snack and suddenly had a full blown meltdown about hinges because he didn't want to crack. I mean, technically the song says "I've got to have hinges or else I would crack" but I guess he took it to mean hinges would make him crack and so we had to reassure him about 50 times that he didn't have hinges. Hopefully he won't crack when he learns that we chose brushed nickel hinges.

It's not like I don't have lots of opinions about homes. I have opinions about built-in bookcases (not appropriate for rooms you can see from the front porch), bathtubs (should have space on the edges for shampoo), microwaves (should not be above ranges nor in the island where the kids can reach), and balusters (should be spelled ballisters and should not be as expensive as they are). But at the same time . . . it would be nice to delegate all the decision making to the people with the most strong opinions in my life. My kids.

But that wouldn't quite work either. I asked Joseph which color the house should be and he said the color of his coat. I'm assuming he's talking about the royal blue part and not the orange part, but even that would be a bit intense. The interior paint colors would follow a similar color theme. And of course, if it were up to them each room in the house would primarily be a toy room.

So I guess the decisions are up to Kevin and me (and our moms, who tell us to "do what you want" but also will probably never visit if we choose the wrong paint colors). Windows on a garage. Painted or stained. Linoleum or carpet in the kitchen (just kidding, Mom).

I know that none of this matters in the long run. There are big important things to think about, and cabinets do not fall in that category. But it's still been valuable studying ways to make a house beautiful. It's been mind-stretching to use my imagination all the time, trying to create a space that will require as little thought as possible once it's done. It's a process of knowing when to have a backbone and when to be flexible.

All that said, if I have to think about hinges ever again I might crack.