“If I’ve learned one thing from my happiness project, it’s that if I want my life to be a certain way, I must be that way myself. If I want my marriage to be tender and romantic, I must be tender and romantic.”
My love of Gretchen Rubin has not waned in 2018. This morning I listened to an "Unplugged" podcast she did recently with her sister Elizabeth and found myself smiling with delight as I chopped sweet potatoes for tonight's dinner. I love so much the fact that both the sisters own who they are, their quirkiness, their fears, and their weaknesses. Their freedom makes me feel more free and more Ginger.
My friend Kristy told me recently that when she was reading Gretchen Rubin's book Better Than Before recently, it was almost as if she could hear my voice in the text. That made me feel so proud and happy, "better than before" in fact.
Today is Part 2 of explaining my list of "18 for 2018" in greater detail.
7. EverEve TrendSend - try it!
I am not strong in the finding, selecting, and purchasing of clothing - for myself or others. I have a minimal wardrobe, not because I'm a minimalist but because I like wearing my favorites over and over and because I dislike taking time to shop for clothes. However, I need a solution to this problem because I continue to find myself in situations where I do not own adequate clothes for everyday occasions. I also sometimes feel tired of seeing myself in the same outfit day after day, and would like to expand my world this year by expanding my wardrobe.
I am going to give the clothes-in-a-box-delivered-to-your-door-with-free-returns model a try. I do not look forward to filling out the "Style Profile" because I do not feel confident that I have a style or know what I like. However, just as I figured out the use of Poshmark last fall, I will push myself to give TrendSend a try.
8. Choose AMS, AL, GR quotes for quote wall
Our living room makeover is nearing completion, and with it the filling of our custom quote wall. A quote from the book Caddie Woodlawn takes center stage, but I would be remiss to leave out my three favorite writers: Alexander McCall Smith, Anne Lamott, and Gretchen Rubin. I have hundreds of favorite quotes of each of these writers copied in my commonplace books, but once I go looking, I feel sure that a favorite-favorite will rise to the top for each one. This is gonna be good!
9. Find new quilt for our bed
TJ and I had the chance for a date night last night, and while we were at it, we went to the mall to look at quilts at Pottery Barn. It was fun to see them and touch them in person and not just stare at a screen. We have wanted a new quilt for years, as the one we have now is a hand-me-down quilt and not one that we would have chosen. We decided that for our anniversary in December, we would celebrate with the purchase of a quilt. Thank you, Pottery Barn, for having stuff we like. Oh, how excited and grateful I am! I think I might start making my bed again just to make it look like a Pottery Barn picture each day.
10. Kiss TJ when he gets home from work
I am usually cooking dinner when TJ gets home in the evenings. That means my back is to the back door, and unfortunately, I have not made it a priority to stop what I'm doing to greet TJ and welcome him back into our space. But I want to!
Not only has Gretchen Rubin inspired me in this one....
“Kissing at these times had the added benefit of ensuring that Jamie and I actually paid attention to each other, as we came and went from home. It was all too easy to stay absorbed in our own concerns as we rushed through the apartment. By acting more loving, I made myself feel loving - and at the same time, made Jamie feel more loved. ”
...but also my very own friends. A few times recently, we have been at friends' homes for dinner, just at the time the husband was getting home from work, and upon seeing the intentional kisses of greeting, I've thought - I should do that! I can do that!
11. Find a gynecologist
Nobody cares about this one, but now that it's been over three years since we moved to Greenville, I think it's time.
12. Dock start - learn
This means I want to learn to waterski straight off the dock. I have an offer for a lesson from Jimmy Durham, the former waterski instructor who ran a ski school on our property back when he and his family lived here decades ago. To learn this trick will certainly make waterskiing more pleasant on the chillier days of spring and fall. I think with any new goal in mind, if you have to start somewhere, you might as well start dry and comfortable.
“We often learn most about ourselves by learning about other people.”