making a house a home: grandma loves the bright housing colors in costa rica

this sweet little email and photo came a few weeks ago, and i thought her thoughts and observations were so sincere and so eloquently put. (but this IS my mother, after all.....who just so happens to be the smartest woman on the planet.)

i wanted to share:

Dear family and friends:

While first getting acquainted with Costa Rica, we were amazed at the variety of bright colors that the homes are painted. Well...maybe amazed, entertained and amused. I don’t now remember the exact thoughts I then had, but they ran somewhat in the following smug vein: “Who in their right mind would ever live in a house THAT color?” As I have lived here however, some of my perspective has changed, or at least enlarged. Now I look at the homes we pass and notice that it is seldom a large or expensive home that is painted bright lime green. But the tiny square or rectangle box constructed of wood or plaster or even tin, leaning slightly askew? You can bet it will be bright coral, hot pink, sky blue, or any other of the brightest colors available. Often times it will have two colors, such as lime green and purple. I think of the people who live in those houses--especially the women--and realize that if I were in their circumstances, trying to make a home out of a flat-faced house with a door and MAYBE a window or two on the front, I would do whatever I could to brighten, individualize and freshen my abode. And hey, a can of paint costs a heck of a lot less than anything else that can be used to cheer up the world: so celebrate color, Costa Rica. Bring out your paint brushes!

Hugs to all,
Lana (& Derrill, of course)