I kinda hate Pinterest. While a ton of my friends love it, I
avoid it like the plague. I figure I
have enough on my plate without worrying about how many recipes I’m not
cooking, how unorganized I am, or how I haven’t even started planning my dream
wedding. I do, however, have a single
secret Pinterest weakness- dorm room decorations. The start of every year
brings me the joyful flurry of diving into fun DIYs I want to add to my room. Maybe, it’s my inner
teacher, but I look forward to figuring out how I want to redo my room each
year.
After all, our rooms are our most personal place on campus.
It’s the place you spend most of your time. You sleep there. You entertain
friends there. You study and procrastinate there. It’s so important to make
sure you live in a space where you feel
comfortable and can be yourself. Your dorm room is one of the most important
places you can express yourself. Having your favorite colors, posters,
pictures, and knickknacks is what defines your space as yours and shares what
you care about with others who visit.
As people of faith, one of the most important things to express
in your room is your faith life. Adding elements to your room can help you share[K1]
and grow in new ways.
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Quotes
One of my favorite parts of my room are my quote canvases. I
spent a few days at the end of summer working on them with my sister, trying to
figure out the perfect quotes to fit the canvas, what colors to use, what
designs to include, and so on. I tried to pick quotes that inspired me to be
the most loving person possible (obviously picked from songs from my “Live in
the Light Playlist”). They serve as a constant reminder to love selflessly and
to love in a sincere and caring way.
Quote canvases are easy and inexpensive to make- all you
need is canvas and paints and a free afternoon. I discovered in making them
that it was a very therapeutic and peaceful activity. While making full
paintings can be pretty time consuming, I found an easy way to continue doing
this was to start decorating notecards with quotes. Whenever I hear a line from
a song that inspires me to be a more loving, peaceful, or positive person, I
write it down on a notecard with some decorations. I started using them to
decorate my walls, but now I’ve moved on to let them decorate my walls. Being
surrounded by these quotes help challenge me to be my most loving self. And
they are even easier to make than canvases- just grab a pen and a stack of note
cards and go for it.
Collages
While I was abroad, I was on a tight budget. But, I couldn’t
stand my plain and boring room in Paris, so I devoted a wall to telling my
story through free things I acquired in my travels. I covered it in maps,
ticket stubs, brochures, and programs. It was one of my favorite parts of my
room (other than the Eiffel Tower view) and it was a great way to share my
story with everyone who stopped by. But, in the end, it was an exercise in
gratitude. As I worked on my collage, I got to step back and look at the
amazing gifts God had given me in my travels. I had so many marvelous
experiences, dream after dream coming true, that looking at it gave me a chance
to relive those moments and renew the gratitude to I had for God who had led me
on this path.
It’s in this way I encourage you to make gratitude collages.
Pick a corner of your wall, or maybe use one of the bulletin boards that come
with your modular furniture, and dedicate it to your collage. You can fill it
with anything you are grateful for, anything that reminds you of the wonderful
gifts God has given you. Pictures of your family and friends, favorite places
you’ve traveled, pictures you’ve taken of sunsets or flowers, activities or
hobbies - anything to remind you of the gifts God has given you. In moments of
uncertainty, when we find ourselves focused on everything we don’t have, return
to this collage and reflect on the graciousness of God.
Prayer Corner
When I was younger, my mom helped me make a prayer corner
for my room. We marked the space with a white dollie and on top of it put a
small statue of Mary, prayer cards, my rosary, and religious pictures. Making a
prayer corner is your room is a way of giving yourself a literal place to turn
to for solace. Whether you need a place to pray before sleeping, a study break
with God, or a breather between classes- your prayer corner is your go to.
The best part is you can craft it to fit your prayer life.
Are you inspired by icons or holy images? Add those. More of a journaling type?
Use it as a place to keep your journal. Add an (electric) candle. Make a prayer
jar to store intentions. This is a place for you to reflect and grow, so it’s
up to you to use.
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Spaces are important, especially, your dorm room, a room you
inhabit all the time. Living a faith filled life mean integrating your faith into
your lifestyle. It means making time and taking time to pray in your daily
life. Your room can be the place where that lifestyle begins. So take some time
this week to dig out some supplies and make room for some sacred space.
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