Letter Box
In my heart, I’m the kind of person who buys birthday cards well in advance and sends them out early to everyone on my list. In reality, I race to the store to buy a card and hope it gets there on time. I’m pretty sure this makes me a normal human being. While I do, on occasion, manage to get it right, I’ve always wanted to do better.
Dried Orange Garland
I wanted to share an easy DIY holiday decoration that will put you in the festive spirit and make your home smell divine. Now that’s what I call a win-win. I was inspired by a picture in House & Home magazine of a dried orange garland hanging on a mantle; there was just something simple and sweet about it that made me think of an old-fashioned Christmas. I wondered to myself, how hard could it be to make? As it turns out, not hard at all.
Rituals On Display
There are tiny little rituals in my day that are so important and yet so mundane, I wouldn’t necessarily think to celebrate them. Putting on my jewelry, for example, brings a sense of purpose to my day. The way my favorite hand cream smells grounds me in the comfort of a familiar scent but also lifts my spirits. These seemingly unimportant moments in my day are actually quite meaningful; they string together and create meaning.
Love Letters
Life is busy, a reality to which many of us have reluctantly conceded. What pains me the most about busyness is its warped sense of priorities. Somehow, and for no good reason, the people and rituals I cherish get pushed to the back of the line. Raise your hand if you can relate. I try hard not to take my relationships for granted, but it happens. And while one of the calling cards of true friendship is that it doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, it’s important to reach out and show the people you love how much they mean to you.
Fall Flowers
The art of arranging flowers is, for me, all about letting go. I might have an idea of what I want the arrangement to look like, but it never ends up looking like what I had imagined. If I focus on the act, itself, and give up my attachment to the end result, my arrangement will take on a life of its own. Devote yourself and then surrender to the process — that is yoga.
Holiday Spirit
I miss good ‘ole fashioned holiday spirit. These days is feels like the holidays are wrapped in shame and tied with a big fat ribbon of guilt. Even just a small sampling of recent conversations with my friends reveals that we’re all suffering from the same feelings of lack—there’s just not enough time to get it all done. For example, one of my girlfriends wrote, “I’m hunched over my computer, feverishly ordering yet more last-minute xmas gifts and pouring over my extensive end-of-year to-do list (gets longer, not shorter, why?)!” That was on December 10th.
