Today I planned to write the second blog post on window treatments. The first one I did was about drapery and this one was going to be about shades (hah! This sounds so dry and superficial now!). I was feeling more inspired by the beauty of the little moments in my life. I’ve recently been humbled by a few endeavors that didn’t come to fruition. The set back, while minor in the grand scheme of things, left me feeling a bit uninspired for what the future held. Taking a step back, I thought about the joy and beauty that is cultivated in my life within the daily ins and outs. I was reminded that beauty, pure joy, is a mysterious gift, not something that results from diligent plans and informed study.
Question for you. When you see something beautiful, how does it make you feel? Imagine a sunset so beautiful that it takes your breath away.
A child laughing. A charming house surrounded by wild bushes. A beautiful table set during Christmas time. Do these scenes make you feel calm? Inspired? Happy?
Of course, we all have our own perception of beauty. Some might adore natural fibers and texture, while others prefer beautiful china and ornate tablescapes. Regardless of the type and form, beauty reminds us to slow down and delight in what is in front of us. It is easy to think that only the big things matter—the job moves, the crises, the nights out, the vacations, the milestone relationships—anticipating these things can distract us from the fact that life is happening here and now. I think that by using things you love, that you find attractive and compelling, you create for yourself a life you enjoy living. Useful pretty things are an external reminder that living is itself a noble endeavor.
To be clear, I don’t mean “beauty” here in a necessarily mainstream sense; by “beauty” I mean simply whatever your heart finds attractive. With that in mind, here are some of the tangible things that have helped me be present to myself and my real life—perhaps they’ll brighten your everyday too.
- Coffee Mugs
For most of us, coffee is both a necessity and an absolute delight. So give the moment its due: Make yourself good coffee, sit somewhere pleasant, and use your favorite mug, teacup, or espresso cup. Drinking from a cup you love will make you want to slow down and sit down to enjoy that coffee more deliberately.This practice sets the tone for a positive day, and in my experience it helps establish a sense of control of your life. Those who know me know that I sit every morning and slowly start my day with a cup of coffee. If I rush around the house, chugging coffee as I put on my makeup and toss on my clothes and hurry out the door, my day runs me. If I sit down and give myself time to wake up—to meditate, to pray, to reflect on the day ahead of me—I run my day. And it runs much more smoothly.
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- Candles
I am a long time lover of candles as I’m all about the cozy. They elevate the moment, set a mood, and can even signify a season and a frame of mind. For me, they signal a commitment to the moment and an attempt to elevate that moment to something enjoyable and lovely. Hmmm…even writing about this makes me sink into that warm sentiment that is set when I cozy up with a candle on a rainy day. While price is not always a certain indicator of quality, it generally is with candles. More, in this case, is in fact more. I recently did a post on my favorite candles if you are looking for inspiration!
- Fresh Flowers
This is one of the simplest ways to make a house into a home, because flowers are a sign of life. Think about it: If you went away and never returned, everything else in your house would keep existing, unchanged. But plants wilt; leaves curl; flowers droop. So the bouquet of flowers on your kitchen table is a sign to you and to whoever enters your home that someone lives here, you have chosen to live here, and you intend to keep living here. I have a hard time keeping houseplants alive (even though I love them) so fresh cuts of flowers are my go to. When we go to the grocery store, Andy will always ask me if I want to bring some fresh flowers home. Trader Joe’s has the best deals on flowers of any grocery store I’ve come across. Ever.
- Soft bedding
There truly is nothing like an incredibly comfy bed. I look forward to crawling into bed every night and miss my bed when we are away from our home. It is my happy place where I find the maximum amount of comfort. The main component that makes my bed so wonderful is the bedding. For the longest time I didn’t put too much thought into my bedding. I wouldn’t care about the style of the duvet cover and would get the Target sheets. The sheets were really soft, but didn’t do much to control temperature and didn’t last throughout the multiple washes bedding requires. Having a bed that I love crawling into every night is such a wonderful thing! It is worth the investment to get good sheets and covers. It feels so luxurious to slide your foot across soft sheets and draw a quilted blanket up to your nose. Plus, quality bedding will last a long time and will get softer with each wash.
- China
It might be out of style in my generation but I think fine china is a classic, and beautiful way to effortlessly elevate the humdrum of daily life. Growing up, we always brought out the china for special celebrations. “Impractical!” you may say. Why would I let this take up space when our everyday plates achieve the same outcome? Using china makes that day, those meals, and the work done at that table feel like something more special, more worthy of your deliberate time and attention.
- Wine Glasses
These seem like luxuries, but in fact they are eminently practical. There’s an actual science behind the tradition of particular shapes and styles of wine glasses: Different thicknesses and shapes of glassware affect the way your tongue receives the flavor of that particular wine. And, as an added perk, glassware is simply beautiful to look at! I recently took the doors off our kitchen cabinets to display our glassware. Not everyone is a fan of open shelves but I like that I can enjoy the sparkle—easy and eminently practical decor. Plus, if they’re already “out,” I’m more likely to reach for them on that Tuesday when I’ve had a rough day and need to give myself a little TLC. My recommendation? Treat yo’self like the high quality woman you are: Open a nice bottle of wine and pour it in your fancy glass. You deserve it.
There are plenty of other little things you can do or buy to help yourself be compelled by the life in front of you rather than by the future you’re imagining for yourself. Do small things with great love. I think a corollary to this is to do small things with great love-liness: To help ourselves love the now we are in and to strive for excellence in it—with the aid of a few pretty things.
Have a great weekend friends! Menu plans will be coming up Sunday so stay tuned.