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A few months ago, I purchased a pair of red tennis shoes from Marshalls. I have to say, I absolutely love wearing them, which is funny, because red is probably one of my least favorite colors. I was surprised by the joy wearing these shoes brought me. The past few weeks, I have been trying to have more fun with my outfits. Mixing things up, wearing colors I might not normally wear, adding in some fun accessories and just having fun, no rules!
After being off social media for a bit, I realized I was spending too much time consuming and not enough time being creative. It’s great to follow accounts for fashion and design to be inspired but also, it’s so nice to take a break. Everyone starts to look the same when we all follow the “trends” and buy the same thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good viral trend but there’s something to be said for being original, and creating your own style. Also, I probably love the word create because it was my word for 2017.
A few days ago, I decided to go looking for some records at Goodwill and Savers. If you know me, you know I’m not a big thrifter but records for $2.99 are a steal. I recently won a record player at my husband’s work and I love it! It really fits into my whole analog year. When I came out of Savers this cute girl (who was really probably like 30 something) in braids driving a bad ass pickup yelled out her window to me “Your outfit is so cute, you look adorable!”
My favorite part of this whole interaction is that she was totally cool cheering on a stranger in a parking lot. I absolutely love that energy! The world needs more of this instead of people yelling terrible things at each other. We could all use some encouragement from a random stranger in our day. In fact, while in Aldi today I saw a girl in a cute matching bright pink sweat set and I told her she looked adorable. Her outfit made me smile and it cost me absolutely nothing to say those words to her. Isn’t it fun that an outfit brought delight not only to myself but to a random stranger and vice versa? God gives us creativity to share with the world. These small interactions between strangers bring a moment of joy into the day. I LOVE that! We could all use more beauty and joy in our lives.
When I was thinking about my word for 2026, I had written down that I wanted to bring more beauty and play into my everyday life. Back to simple things, less online presence, more real life living. Having fun and as everyone is saying “romanticizing my life.” Removing the noise and pace of online mixed with the quietness of winter has given me a lot of time to do nothing. I’ve read a lot, blogged way more than usual, listened to music, did a few puzzles and generally let my brain rest. I went through a few weeks of dopamine withdrawal and let me tell you, it’s real. There was definitely a period of adjusting which was rough in February, but I survived. The plus side is I feel like my brain can think, it feels more calm and less chaotic. I’ve been feeling creative again. I repainted my kitchen island, ordered new pendant lights and redid the decor on my counter tops. Sunday, we went line dancing with some friends and while I was definitely not winning any awards for my moves, it was fun! I’m excited to see how else beauty and play will enter into my 2026. Learning more line dancing, taking some pottery classes, cooking new recipes, and trying my hand at embroidery are all on my list. No pressure to perfect any of it but to just play, have fun, create beauty and delight my way through.
