Use the good dishes. But seriously, what are you waiting for?
I have a sign on my desk that says the following, "this bright, new day...complete with 24 hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes...a perfectly watched set of 1440 minutes. This unique gift, this one day, cannot be exchanged, replaced or refunded. Handle with care, make the most of it. There is only one to a customer." I believe this is how to live beautifully.
I'm not sure who wrote this, but I sure do like it. "Make the most of it," it says. How can we do that each day? Is how to live beautifully being a perfect "Martha" (we all know she has a bunch of helpers!) with homemade marshmallows in hot cocoa made of 70% Valrhona chocolate? No, I think not. Is it breaking out the nice dishes more than once a year or putting on that nice dress tucked into the back of the closet? Is it using the nice bath bubbles on a week night or spritzing on the nice perfume (ever-so-lightly) to do a grocery run? Is it sitting on the nice couch in the front room (where, back in the day, no one was allowed to sit?) I think yes! Yes to all of it!
I'm guessing a lot of people in my neighborhood might now say the same thing. You see, many of my dear friends had a very personal visit from a menace by the name of Harvey. He was brutal. And in his wake, he left behind scores of families soaked to their very core. Homes were devastated. In those days that followed that perfect, not-perfect, storm, we saw loads of belongings, stacked pile, upon pitiful pile, along the curbs in front of everyone's homes. It was a painful sight to see.
So many people I talked to after the storm mentioned specific things they lost. Things that they did not think to scoop up in the frenzied hours approaching midnight before the impending waters began to stream inside their homes. What was a common tone? I was saving it for good, but now it is gone.
So perhaps you did lose almost everything in a flood, or perhaps you were a lucky one and were spared from the rushing waters that late August, you already know what I'm going to say...
Don't wait...start figuring out your way of how to live beautifully today. It will be different for everyone. But here are some ideas: Go and pick some flowers from your yard and place them in a vase next to your bathroom sink. Make some homemade salad dressing* (recipe below,) and enjoy the flavor of fresh herbs dancing on your palate. Buy a beautifully beaded pillow or soft fluffy throw, and put it out on your sofa to use every day. Feel it's softness and enjoy the elegance of it.
Take a moment, just for you, and live beautifully.
Not sure what living beautifully means for you, let me help you figure it out!
Easy Salad Dressing
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon minced red onion
Whisk together with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of snipped herbs such as basil, oregano, marjoram, dill, or a mix of all, add a few grinds of fresh pepper, drizzle over your favorite greens, and enjoy this beautiful salad.