A DAY IN THE LIFE: ROMANTICISED EDITION
One of my dearest friends is the reason that I truly understand what romanticising our lives is all about. Before her, I'd briefly heard the term and honestly, I thought it was bullshit, a sugar-coated term for those who were unhappy with their lives. But, Dolls, romanticising your life is about meeting the world with open arms, seeking every opportunity to turn a good moment into a great moment. Sometimes romanticising your own life is difficult but luckily for you, I've practised it in my life for years. I'm going to model to you a day in my life, romanticised and all!
Perhaps mornings are my favourite time of day. When my parents and puppy come into my room with bright smiles, hugs and so much love, I feel overwhelming gratitude for the beauty that comes with having an accepting, adoring, connected family. My room has three large panels of glassware that see through to a garden filled with overflowing trees, ferns, pink primroses and lemon trees. When it's my mum who wakes me up, she opens their blinds and my day is started surrounded by life, filling up my soul with nature. Every single morning, without a doubt, I journal in my diary. I have two sets of fortune cards and after I've shuffled and picked from each set, I write down the words in my journal. Those two words are the foundation of my day, guiding me through every situation whenever I feel conflicted or uncertain. Many people dislike chores and I used to be one of them. But the few chores that I do such as wiping down the table and unpacking the dishwasher maintain the clean space that my parents spend their day in. After romanticising this aspect of my life, I not only don't mind doing chores now, I actually enjoy them. I recognise that when I prioritise my chores, I positively impact the lives of two people who offer me so much support, comfort, security and hope. Until midday, I sit at my desk that looks out onto the garden and I write, either my blog, to my friends or in my upcoming novel. The view is serene- A source of constant inspiration that makes me feel calm and peaceful. I compare it to the times I've been confined to a hospital bed, where I had to draw inspiration from memories, stolen moments, blank walls and strict rules. And post-comparison, suddenly, my space becomes the most sacred space in the world.
Early afternoon is usually when I go to work. I lack the physical strength and often, simply the mental capacity to get up the hill. So on the days when I can manage the walk, I romanticise everything from the sun on my face, to seeing people's smiles to hearing birds sing their songs. I am lucky enough for my work to be centred around a positive customer experience. Kindness is fundamental to the success of my company so no matter how much any of my colleagues are struggling in their personal lives, it's a guarantee that even for a short, few hours, they'll forget their troubles and live for gift-giving and excited children. It can be easy to label my conversations with customers as insignificant but I make the choice to believe that I can leave an imprint on them because something I know for certain is that often, customers make a significant impact on my day. I usually come home just before dinner, the one time of day when I am guaranteed to receive meal support from my family. No matter how I go that day with my ability to eat, I know that at dinner time, I don't have to struggle with the thoughts of 'Do I or don't I?' because they'll be there to offer supervision and accountability. But mostly, I love dinner time because I get to hear about the lives of my family. I am always so interested in their wins and losses or their regrets and dreams because, unlike a lot of families, we genuinely care about each other's worlds and our place in them. I lived with a family for a long time who I knew didn't really care about my day, and who didn't make me feel worthy or safe. And every day I spend under the roof I live in now is treasurable.
After this stressful, important, warm time of day together, we all sit down and relax, often for the first time all day, enjoying each other's company whilst we watch our favourite Netflix show. It's so simple yet sometimes, it's what I spend all day looking forwards to. The simple things are what I find easiest to romanticise because to me, the little things mean the most. My nighttime routine is made up of a lot of these little things. Nighttime is when I take my medication, look after my personal hygiene and fall asleep. Every aspect of each of these things challenges my depression and OCD more than any other point in the day. There are three things I cannot do if my parents don't remind me to do it... Brush my teeth, apply Vaseline and wear my dream balm. If I didn't romanticise these things, I wouldn't be able to see how special it is that my family look after me, even at the time of day when they're most exhausted and are taking time out to care for themselves. If I didn't romanticise these things, I wouldn't be able to see that their well-being depends on my well-being. If I didn't romanticise these things, I wouldn't be able to see that the fact is, I have a place in this world, a place that would become a hole if it weren't filled by me.
Romanticising isn't about believing in a fairytale, Dolls - Romanticising is believing that there is a silver lining outlining the reality we live in, allowing for a touch of magic in the places we least expect it.
How will you romanticise your life, Dolls?
Kisses,
COS x
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