Jun 21, 2013 | Post by: mnanda001 No Comments

Lighten up…

 

Happy First Day of Summer of 2013!   I’m sure we all have memories or ideas of what makes summer special.  To me summer translates to simple pleasures shared with family and friends and moments of quiet on warm summer nights outside in the yard.  However, lately,  I’ve been taking myself too seriously and that’s no fun for anyone especially for my kids, my husband  and honestly, most importantly, for me!  I’m not sure why lately I feel like this….certainly, I do have some OCD moments which probably contributes, but generally I just need to ‘lighten up’.

The idea of not taking yourself too seriously all came to me when I spotted this Schwinn tandem bike on a walk with my kids in our neighborhood earlier this week.  I could not help but smile when I saw this bike decked out with whimsical, glittery, silver streamers blowing in the wind.    In a world where it seems society is always wanting more, working more, so serious (and certainly there are times where one should be serious)  this bike actually became a symbol of sorts to me to prioritize, relax and to keep a whimsical perspective about life—to keep things in perspective and be filled with gratitude.  Keep things fun, comfortable, positive, humorous, playful and be open to the unexpected….yes, that’s right…let’s all just be open to being whimsical more often than not.

I think it’s probably fair to say that we all go through moments where we take ourselves too seriously (for no good reason) so it got me thinking of ways to add some whimsy into our homes to help remind us to ‘lighten up’.  Cutesy, quirky, ironic, kitschy can surprisingly all be associated with stylish design, but don’t get hung up on the stylish part…just embrace the idea of what makes you smile and add it to your home!

It doesn’t have to be entire room either that screams out whimsy. As a matter of fact, less is more in my opinion when it comes to this.  Add a touch of whimsy with a chandelier, a pillow, accessories, one piece of furniture, a rug OR artwork…. (As noted in my past blog, I think adding your kid’s artwork to your home is an easy way of doing this.)   Think about adding whimsy through color, mixing styles and proportions…adding elements with unusual curves or just adding one fun pillow and/or an accessory like the glasses  in first photo!   Here are some other visuals of whimsy that I thought where fun to share!

 

I’m happy to share that this serious Maya has been able to enjoy and most importantly appreciate the small things in life and I think for me it’s the small things that makes life so grand and special.  I know this is true because this week here are the simple pleasures that made serious Maya feel at ease…

First summer concert in the park across from my home……

 Sitting on the porch with my son eating ice cream and watching my son just laugh about nothing…..just laughing (I’m sure the sugar helped!)

Blowing bubbles in the backyard with my daughter…..

Enjoy this first day of summer and all the days to follow!  Look for the whimsy in your life, relax, enjoy, smile and be grateful.

Until next time….

~M

 

 

 

 

 

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