The Beautifully Mundane

With February coming to an end and March beginning, I am dying for the start of spring.  I find these months of January- March, and the beginning of April, to be so gloomy.  The weather isn’t great, there are no leaves in the trees, no flowers have started blooming yet, the fat hibernating squirrels are still asleep… it just feels blah.  One of the trends that I have seen floating around social media is ‘romanticize your life’.  The idea behind this is to make the little things in life feel and look beautiful.  I go through phases where I romanticize parts of my life but generally, I find the whole thing exhausting and time consuming.  

With that, one thing that I am trying to do is to look for the beauty and joy in the mundane. On the gray days, the boring, gray tasks can seem like the most painful chores.  In many ways these tasks can seem nearly impossible, especially when it is dark and you have those sleepy, heavy eyes!  I have been trying my hardest to combat these feelings, some days more successfully than others, and I have found a few different mindset shifts that have helped me!

One example is dishes… I do not like doing dishes… and laundry.  Not a fan at all.  But, I have found that I love using my beautiful mugs and wearing my beautiful pajamas.  If I don’t do the dishes or I don’t do the laundry then I don’t get to use my beautiful things that make me happy.  Personally, I have found that it is a little easier to fill the dishwasher and fold the laundry when I know I get to use my favorite, most beautiful things.  

I have also found that if I am going to romanticize any part of my day, the evenings are the easiest in terms of timing.  It’s the end of the day, I have no need to be rushed, I can take a warm bath or do my skincare and not have to worry about the world for a while.  I love to turn on music or listen to a podcast and just let the day go.. It feels so nice.  I also find that I really enjoy doing a small activity in bed before I turn off the lights.  Sometimes it’s needlepoint, other days it’s reading, but regardless, it is nice to hang out in bed and just enjoy the comfy cloud that I get to rest on at night.  

I wish that everything in life felt beautiful and fulfilling but unfortunately, life was not created to be so.  As I am getting older I am realizing the importance of always seeing the beautiful things around you.  I know that I certainly have a hard time remembering this in certain situations but I am trying my best to adjust my perspective.  With everything going on in the world right now, I think it is so important for us to remember and celebrate the little beauties we take for granted, like beautiful cups and comfy pajamas.