How a flood, a class, and a country song made me want to burn my house down | Colorado Family Photographer

I was just introduced to the song ‘Housewife’s Prayer’ by Pistol Annies this week and reading the lyrics fell heavy on me. There have been times in my life that I really felt like my home was drowning me. Not just the stuff, but just trying to keep everything afloat. More than once we have had two mortgages or paying rent and a mortgage and barely enough money to pay bills. I just wanted to burn it all down and start all over. I wanted money to take my boys anywhere other than the park when it was 100 degrees, but the only option was to walk around the mall and use pennies to get them a pretzel.

For the past three weeks I have been taking a class that has really sparked my creativity and lit a fire in my soul. One of the lessons was on living a minimalist life. All those things we don’t really need and that are burying us just needs to go.

When we moved to Colorado we went from a 4000 square foot house to a 2000 square foot house. Plenty of room, but we have enough crap to fill a house twice the size. Coincidentally, our basement flooded at about the same time I started this class and there is nothing that makes you feel like you have too much crap than when you need to unpack it all to dry out.

So I have started the process of going through the excess in my house. Getting rid of the noise. I’m pretty good about cleaning out my closet once a year, but this time I got brutal. My closet is pretty bare right now, but it feels pretty damn good. It is an interesting process looking at your things and determining what you really need. Looking at each item and asking ‘do I really love this’? Other than the people and pets under this roof, there isn’t much I couldn’t do without. I’m hoping once I am done, I can breathe a little better and my shoulders will feel a little lighter.

Housewife's Prayer by Pistol Annies

I've been thinking about

Setting my house on fire

Can't see a way out of the mess I'm in

And the bills keep getting higher

All I need is a match and a gallon of gas

God I'm getting tired

Gonna set this house on fire

I've been thinking about

Going off the deep end

My man can't get no overtime

And the baby ain't been sleeping

All I need is a washing machine

These ends of mine ain't meeting

I'm about to go off the deep end

Well I've been thinking about

All the pills I'm taking

I wash them down with an ice cold beer

And a love I ain't been making

Oh I feel like I'm burning up

With words I ain't been saying

And all these pills I'm taking.

Ooh

Ooh

I've been thinking about Setting my house on fire