whimsymaxxing: a practical guide.
Cultivating whimsy, slow living, and dismantling some of our tendencies in order to live life a bit more playfully.
Cultivating whimsy. Whimsymaxxing. Sprinkling whimsy throughout our life. What does this actually mean? Let’s start with some actual definitions:
whim·sy (n): the quality or state of being whimsical or fanciful.
fan·ci·ful (adj): marked by fancy or unrestrained imagination rather than by reason and experience.
I think it’s important to start with the actual definition of a buzzword, mainly because nowadays words have their respective true meaning, but they also have colloquial interpretations. Both of which are valuable. But if we start with the state of having unrestrained imagination, what comes to mind for you? If you were released by the limitations of reason, logistics, even expectation, what would you choose to explore? Where would you wander? What would you hope to discover?
When I think of cultivating whimsy I think of slow living (surprise, surprise). I think about my preach for finding little joys. Your little joys are your moments of daily whimsy; they reflect something uniquely special to you and they bring a bout of magic to your day. And these days, it’s those seemingly ordinary moments that actually hold a lot of whimsy, set against the harsh reality of fluorescent lighting on cold cubicle walls, copy and paste days that make us lose sight of time, and lackluster routines shaped by duties, rules, and paying the bills.
Today’s piece should help you find accessible ways to break through those walls and cultivate your whimsy. Start simply, practically, and then when whimsy presents itself, go forth and continue exploring.
start living slowly 𓆑꩜
It wouldn’t be a piece of mine if it didn’t specifically call out slow living. But the slow living lifestyle is the path that guides you towards vast plains of joy and whimsy. It’s on this path that I discovered so many spaces of joy: writing, hiking, sitting by a crackling fire on a cool autumn evening. Each morning cup of coffee holds an aura of contentment. Slow living taught me about color and vibrance and finding abundant troves of delight in just a table stacked with tomatoes at the farmers market. It helped me understand that whimsy does not come from living in a mousy cottage out on a patch of land covered in daisies. It comes from the magical moments laid out right in front of me, each and every day that I slow down and notice them.
romanticize the ordinary 𖤓
With that, you’ve got to start romanticizing your grand ol’ ordinary life. Because that life truly is grand and holds more whimsy than you could imagine. Where? In your every day moments. In the drop of vanilla you ration into your brew. In the trees or crevices of sidewalks or amidst the sky’s clouds, fledglings, and warbles as you take a walk around the block. In the way your loved one ends a text with a kind word. In the way that the sun shows up, despite temporary shortcomings, each and every day. One of the easiest ways you can romanticize an ordinary moment is by being fully present. You have to wholeheartedly give your attention to the moment. Perhaps it’s right as you wake up, noticing the sun peeping through your curtains. Maybe it’s as you get ready for the day, pulling on an item of clothing that makes you feel good. Or it’s the moment you finally get cozy on the couch as you open the pages of a book you’re enjoying. Immersing yourself into these moments rather than glazing over them will help you see the magic in them a bit more.
practice gratitude, daily .✦ ݁˖
You’ll begin to notice that each of these sections intertwine in some way. That’s because they work together in an ebb and flow state; sometimes you’ll be working through the earlier sections and other times you’ll skip around to what fits best in the moment. Gratitude is much like romanticization, in that it requires you to pause. Gratitude also requires your unwavering attention. Though it still doesn’t ask for much. Most times, you’ll express gratitude by simply acknowledging the joy in something. You can be grateful for a loved one checking in on you, grateful for the lessons learned in a tough moment, grateful for perfect beach weather, grateful for the five minutes of conversation that made you smile. Mentally clocking those moments are enough to express gratitude, and with practice, it will become a natural part of your mindset. That, much like romanticization, will uncover whimsy all around you.
If you’d like to follow along my journey on social media, you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and YouTube.
