Papa Callan's Bachelor Pad

 

 

This week my husband and I returned to Papa Callan's house.  
Or, as he liked to call it, his Bachelor Pad.
 
We needed to check the security system, return the t.v. cable boxes and finally, meet with the real estate appraiser.  

This is all part of the process of putting Papa Callan's Bachelor Pad on the market.  Yes, he called it his bachelor pad.  Why?  Well, after my mother passed away, Papa Callan made the house completely his own.  He got rid of anything pink or impractical and he created a space for all his many passions--woodworking, photography, books about World War II, nature, bird watching, trees, history, and cataloguing a life time of travel and adventure.

Of course, this didn't mean he didn't also like to entertain the ladies.  In fact, Papa Callan, was very popular with the ladies.  He was quite the raconteur.  During my time living in his Bachelor Pad, I would walk around the neighborhood every day.  I met all the neighbors and when they asked me where I lived I would say "you know, that sad looking ranch house badly in need of painting?"  They would nod their heads, yes, they know the house.  I imagined that they would then begin a conversation about how that house was an eyesore to the neighborhood and that I should really convince Papa Callan to paint it.  But instead, they would go on and on about how charming my father was. 

Your father has seen so much history!
He tells the best stories! 
He worked tirelessly on the Save the Woods committee!

After a while, I just stopped being embarrassed about the house.  It was Papa Callan's house and he loved his house.  So what if it needed a paint job?  Who was I to judge?
The other day, the appraiser seemed to be of the same mind as Papa Callan.  He didn't find anything embarrassing about the house.  In fact, he put down his camera and looked at me and then he said: 

These houses are very popular right now.
These houses?
Yes, mid-century ranch houses are selling quickly.
This phrase reverberated with me.   

Mid Century Ranch Houses

Oooh, it sounds so much more fabulous than a neglected ranch house in need of a paint job!  

Papa Callan whispered in my ear (from The Beyond), you see, I told you so--this is a great bachelor pad!  

Do you have a great bachelor pad in your life?  Do you live in a Mid Century Ranch House?  Do you paint in the Naive Art tradition?  Are you an Intuitive Dancer?  Is that a big pile of clutter on your table or is that a collage-in-progress.  Are you acting silly as you walk into the bakery to buy a croissant, or are you indulging in a little Performance Art? 

You see what a name can do?

Creative Friends, this week, I want you to name something that's an important part of your life.  Forget about this "untitled" business.  Look at your artistic endeavors--whether it's a dance, or a song, or a recipe or an afghan or a play or a novel or a painting or even a house--and give it a name.  A special name.

The name can start off as ironic, like The Bachelor Pad.  But wait and see, your art will grow to embody the fullness of its name.  And then one day, perhaps "an appraiser" will come into your life.  This appraiser will look at what you've created and say:

You have something wonderful here!  Something special.

And all you have to do is begin with a name.

As Papa Callan would say--have fun!

Love,
Jamie