January 31st, 2011
A Life More Magical
In my part of the frozen prairies, there hasn’t been much magic lately. There’s been ordinary magic that doesn’t feel like magic at all when I’m in a rush- the kind summoned by hot chocolate on a cold day, by friends appearing at just the right moment, and by getting the stitches in my new knitting pattern just right. It’s unobtrusive magic that casts a quiet spell, but sometimes in the middle of the winter I need a little more.
Right now I don’t want to settle, so I’m going to try to make this week extraordinary. I want to make the whole week reverberate with beauty and wonder, with daydreams and triumphs. These are some of the things I’m going to be trying to make it a beautiful one:
Pick an anthem to start the day and dance to it while you’re getting ready for the day (mine is as much of Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog as I can listen to while I’m getting ready!) & as soon as you can when you’re finished for the day.
Do something you loved as a child. One of the museums in my city has a giant boat in the middle of it, set in a reproduction of a harbor town, and every time I’ve been there since I was little I couldn’t stop myself from being swept away by it. I love wandering through it a couple times a year and remembering that feeling of being small and full of wonder, and wishing I could play on it all day.
Make a deal with yourself. It’s so much more fun to follow through on chores and projects when I have little rewards picked for myself. From a salted caramel hot chocolate when I meet a deadline, to making a craft I’ve been really wanting to try when I get up on time a few days in a row- having little rewards makes the day to day more fun.
Stop being polite. If it’s in your heart and comes from a place of kindess, stop holding yourself back. Say “I love you”, say “you hurt me”, say “I miss you”- living whole heartedly takes a lot less effort.
Give yourself a research project & go on an old fashioned date. There has to be one of your interests that you’d like to explore further- so go do it this week! Pick up a notebook and go to your library or to the archives, and do old fashioned research on it- preferably in a giant book with gorgeous photos. Do all the exploring you can, and then go pick up a malt on your way home :)
Tell someone you love why you can’t do without them. I’ve gotten into the habit of telling the people around me exactly why they’re so special to me. An enthusiastic, detailled complement isn’t something that many of us get a lot- and sometimes the things that make our friends dear to us are things we never mention to them. It’s so fun to bowl someone over with kind words, and it always makes my day better.
Have a movie night in the middle of the week. Find a big movie rental store and rent a movie everyone has seen that you’ve never gotten around to (for me that’s Pretty Woman!) and watch it! Extra points if you have a friend over, make s’mores in your oven, or curl up on the couch in the comforter from your bed.
Wake up extra early (with an extra cup of coffee!) Especially when I’m stressed, I often wish I had more hours in the day- waking up extra early for couple days during the week gives me extra time to wake up slowly, read & drink coffee while the sun rises. Starting earlier makes everything feel more manageable, and makes the days that I wake up at my normal time feel like I’m sleeping in.
Suggestion: Have something your parents would never let you have for breakfast as a kid!
(I’m having Eggos, just for fun! Sorry Madre!)
{image: Brett is a Girl}
So inspiring Kyla. Thank you.
this post made me so happy. we can all use more magic in our lives!
Kyla! This is a fantastic list! This really is the season where that stagnancy hits for Winnipeggers – I know I am totally feeling it – thank you for reminding me of the little things :)
How were the Eggos? :)
oh me, i do love this. i think my favorites are “stop being polite” and “wake up extra early,” perhaps because i’ve done both already this week!
hope all is well in the prairies! pennsylvania is damn cold, too.
xoxo,
s
This week we’ve been having bed parties. Making dinner, getting in our pj’s, grabbing supplies and spending the whole evening in bed. We’ve been plotting and planning and creating and listening to music and just enjoying being close to one another. It’s been an old fashioned game of “the floor is lava” and we’re loving it.
Magical..love that..we could all use random bits of it on a regular basis :-)
My magical thing this week was getting thru most of my colorwork on my tattoo today. I can’t describe the feeling I have when I am in the process but it is just ah-maz-ing. Despite all the lip biting moments it just makes me feel fantastic. I hope it is that way for everyone :-)
Have a great week :-)
Vanessa
I loved and needed this!
Such wonderful advice <3
“I want to make the whole week reverberate with beauty and wonder, with daydreams and triumphs.”
what a wonderful goal. i’ll strive for the same– thanks for the pretty words.
I’m all about small rewards for projects and goals I complete, and I LOVE the morning anthem bit. I love music in the morning–there’s nothing like a little punch-dancing to start your day off right.
this post is so inspiring :)
That illustration with the fox is soooo rad, I LOVE IT! I really suck at waking up early, I am an 8-9am kind of girl but I have to wake up before 7 for work. It doesn’t seem that much earlier but it REALLY is…especially since I like to stay up late-ish. Sigh.
Ha, I love make a deal with yourself. I do this all the time, although I usually refer to it as bribing myself ;)
And, you’ve never seen pretty woman?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Best. Movie. Ever. I can recite most of it. Enjoy!
This is such a great list, I love the idea of spicing up the regular days!
You’re an inspiring girl, which is why I would like to pass on the Stylish Blogger award to you and your blog! because this little award was passed on to me. Basically this means I think your blog is an inspiration and also very stylish (:
If you want to check out my post http://attack1980sattack.blogspot.com/2011/01/stylin.html you can play along. If you don’t want to/have time that’s ok too (:
I hope your Monday is sunny and bright
best
-Kami
I do love those early morning hours when nothing else is stirring and I’ve got the whole world all to myself. It always makes me feel like I can accomplish so much.
This week I’m making run time, my time. I put on a good (or guilty pleasure) netflix find, and run until I can’t run anymore. Getting to the end of a tough run is worth it every time.
HA! I LOVE Dr Horrible! Laundry song baby! :) What a fun list! Some magic we planned is on the ropes as if its going to happen this week. Hubs and I planned a date night for Wednesday evening, leave kids with Grammy, the whole bit… what’s suppose to hit Tuesday night? Blizzard :/ We live rural so getting to town may not be an option… sucks. Grammy leaves for florida this weekend for a while so its this week or never lol.
Alice has her first daycare fever/cold (after being there for only a week!) so this week is definitely less than magical in our house. We’re fighting it too and we both took the day off today because she was crying a lot of the night. :(
I spoiled myself with yarn today. I rarely knit for myself.
These are awesome suggestions and I plan on putting some of them to good use. Since I’m not only snowed in but also sick, I’ve been itching for something energizing to do. One idea that I’ve been toying around with is writing love letters to all my closest friends, and since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, that’s when I plan to have them written and sent.
thank you so much for posting this! i need little reminders now and then. seems silly to need to be reminded to be happy but its true. im going to make a big bowl of popcorn tonight and watch one of my guilty pleasures – the xlife on vh1 :]
I love your suggestion to stop being polite! I am trying to do that more and more and actually TELL people when they hurt my feelings, rather than letting it fester in my heart. It’s really a better way of handling things, hehe!
this is amazing. i really needed this.
I’ve been doing the same thing recently… telling people I care about exactly how much. It’s a bit awkward at first but in about a month’s time our relationship has gotten so much deeper. It’s silly to think things and not say them. And after opening that door of communication I realized they all felt the same way. Now we are all much more affectionate in our speech to each other and it’s so warm and lovely. :)
Kyla,
Thank you for this. I really appreciate this reminder of how to just live life. So many times I get carried away in to-do lists and chores that I forget to relish life.
I do a lot of this already (go me!) but I do need a daily anthem. Good thinking!
thank you. <3
Fantastic post Kyla (as usual!) and just the thing to pick me up out of the prairie deep-freeze.
Two magical things in my life right now are:
1. Taking the time to make M. laugh. For me there really is no better (and truly magical) sound than my daughter’s laughter.
2. Writing in my 5 year diary every night before bed. It forces me to reflect on the day and while there are some pretty boring days, I can usually find at least 1 good thing to write down.
Haha, these are great! :)
For me.. I’d say one of my choices would be to get out more with my camera. I don’t adventure around with my camera enough. I’m not confident enough to go out and snap shots. :x I need to learn more about my camera. :)
Maybe I’ll do something like that in the future!
Oh, Kyla. So smart, all the time. <3 This is just what I needed.
I’m joining you in eating Eggos. I bought a giant box this weekend on a whim – I don’t think I’ve actually ever had an Eggo before. Did you know that you just put them in the toaster and then 60 seconds later you have hot waffles? That taste like they came from a waffle iron? Magical!
cheers to a week full of sun and love!
Love all of these… love that picture…
And I love that your post title is reminding me of the movie A Life Less Ordinary, which is crazy and beautiful and amazing and makes my heart do jumps (even though I don’t love Cameron Diaz).
xo,
Rachel
Grown Up Rachel
I love this list! This morning, I woke up at 6:30am (an hour and a half earlier than I had planned) and already had a latte. Looks like I’ve successfully completed “Wake up extra early.” :)
Oooh, is it the Nonsuch? That was my total fave, too!
Yes, I definitely some more magic in my life…. and I’d love to try some of your suggestions.
What’s definitely going to be magical (and hilarious!) is that I have tickets for “Jeff Dunham” this Thursday!
Can’t wait!!
As I’ve tried to create new habits and good things in my life, I need to remember to add a bit of magic, too. For me lately, that’s been relishing in sleeping in on the weekends, brunch dates, running outside, and listening to new music instead of just zoning out in front of the TV.
Great post for a grey Monday. Love it. And you, of course :)
Love everything about this post. Here’s to a magical week for both of us :) XO
I love this post, Kyla. You are so right that we need to create magic for ourselves!
Last week I treated myself to a few “me” nights which meant dinner of whatever I want, reading, and watching new shows on streaming Netflix. This week I plan to create some magic for myself by sending out notecards to friends, and going to Florida (assuming Mother Nature can cooperate), giving myself a mani/pedi, and definitely continuing to connect with my friends and family both near and far. (Sending mini emails, even if they are two lines long, makes me incredibly happy.)
Love this! I’m going to have to build a fort and read by the fire some evening this week. And now I’m on a mission to find a super-cool magical museum/store/park/off-beaten hideout. Thanks Kyla!
This post fills me with an inexplicable amount of joy. I’m going to do some of these this week as well!
I love this list! This week, I’m going to spend time each evening dancing around to my favorite song of the moment. I guess that could also double as a bit of exercise too!
I LOVE this post soooo much. It made me feel happy just reading it. Sometimes we are just so swept up by our everyday-grown-up-lives that its hard to find the magic in living. But you’re right–we do have to just make the time for it! Something that reminds me of being a kid like no other is climbing trees. I’ve been dying to climb a tree lately! Ahhh. I’m going to take your advice and look for the magic in my week. <3
aww, i want my life to be more magical, too. i love this, kyla. you’re always such an inspiration. you know what? i’m gonna attempt that getting up extra early thing tomorrow and see how that feels. love that idea. maybe i’ll even go for a walk in the wee morning hours. always wanted to do that.
xoxo
having a secret always makes things more magical. for example, we booked a cruise back in june and i didn’t tell a soul until after we got back (in november). when we got back, my friends were all, “busy week? i haven’t seen you since last thursday!” and i was all, “oh. yeah. didn’t i tell you we were going to the caribbean?” not because i didn’t want anyone to know, or because of anything other than that i needed a little extra magic, and secrets are just that.
oh, also, i thought of you the other day! i’m coming to winnipeg in march to visit friends. maybe i’ll randomly encounter you on the street or in a mall or something. :D
What a wonderful post! We should all create a little more magic in our days. Thanks for the reminder!
I just simply adore this, Kyla. So so so perfect for my snuggly Monday morning off. I too agree that rewards are definitely needed. After these last crazy work weeks, I’m going to gear up for my San Francisco trip and buy myself some new Gap jeans. I know, so rebellious, right? :) Thank you, lovey. I’m not going to lie, this might find its way on my wall somehow.
and i love love the first illustration! It reminds me a lot of the baobabs and the fox from “The Little Prince”!
This is exactly what I needed on this Monday morning! I had a great weekend, and felt really sad that it was over, but this gives me a renewed sense of excitement for each day this week – live each day to the fullest!
xo
Veronica
Thank you for the great advives, I am going to try them some day, soon, I hope. Sorry, but I’ll skip the one of going into a library, it’s my dauly routine, and libraries and people who work in it aren’t that appealing to me anymore =) haha
Anyway, I am already doing some of these things, like telling the ones that I love what I feel. It feels great. My favorite tip was the last one: I’ll think about how I could be a rebel at breakfast =)
Thank you Kyla!
Juliette
I’m going to put on my music really loudly and pretend I’m in a big band and dance around.
Kyla, this is SO what I needed! I’ve locked in an evening bike ride by the river for some photography experimentation followed by a movie night – here’s to conjuring happiness with your magical ideas.
xo