I hope you read (or sang) the title of this post to the tune of “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John. If you didn’t before, I hope you are now! And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, have a listen and watch the music video here. (Enjoy the glistening man candy… you’re welcome).

So. Things are not all that great right now. ::gestures around broadly:: If you mix the never-ending unprecedented times we live in along with the roller coaster that is spring weather as well as the fact that I am still trying to find spring in my personal seasons of life (read February’s musing), there’s just A LOT of not great things happening. I could go into all of the awfulness, write a scathing political commentary or whine more about Michigan weather, but I’m not going to. I recognize that this is a great privilege for me to have. I have the opportunity to take a moment away from fear, concern, and general “WTF”-ness to write about something that I have been trying to incorporate in my life over the last few months. And that my friends, is whimsy. 

Why whimsy? And not something else… like joy? Because being whimsical doesn’t have a strong positive or negative connotation in my opinion. Joy is a bit too much- that’s too strong of an emotion for me. Happiness? Nope, that’s not it either. But whimsy? I like that. Whimsy can be anything, and most importantly, it can be something small. It can be so miniscule, so personal, no one needs to know or even suspect that you’re trying to be whimsical. It doesn’t have to involve laughter or smiling, except maybe an internal smile. It can just be knowing that you are bringing a little something special into your days, and just maybe it brings a twinkle back into your eye. 

Whimsy will look different to each of us. What may be whimsical to me, may not seem whimsical to you. And that’s okay! 

For me, getting whimsical means:

• Using the perfect coffee mug each morning
• Turning my twinkle lights on while I write
• Painting my nails fun spring colors
• Wearing red lipstick out and about Detroit
• Buying flowers at the grocery store and keeping them next to my bed
• Lounging in the perfect comfy pajama jumpsuit
• Listening to Taylor Swift
• Jamming to Cowboy Carter
• Reading a magical or fantasy book
• Looking up at the moon
• Taking an afternoon shower in the natural light from the skylight in my bathroom
• Soaking in my bathtub in lavender bubbles and epsom salts with a lavender candle burning
• Opening my curtains to let the sunshine in while I do yoga
• Practicing yoga 
• Seeing the first spring blooms of flowers in my yard
• Smelling lilacs
• Sitting outside in the warm sunshine
• Listening to an album on my new record player
• Watching ‘Wicked’ for the umpteenth time
• Going out for some “fancy” coffee aka coffee not made at home 
• Admiring the sunlight reflections from my disco ball on the walls of my office

Sometimes in the midst of chaos, we don’t need to plan elaborate ways to feel better. Of course, if those elaborate plans make you feel better, please go ahead and do that! But if you don’t have the capacity for big moments, finding small ways to bring some whimsy into your life can hopefully help you as much as it is helping me right now. 

If you’re struggling, please know you are not alone! I hope you can take a moment to identify some ways to add a bit of whimsy to your life. Feel free to incorporate some of the ideas I’ve shared above! If none of the above resonate, you can always take my grandma’s advice and simply go outside to “get the stink blown off you” (read April’s Musing). If you’re already adding a bit of whimsy to your days, let us know below how you get whimsical.

EXTRA, EXTRA: I made you a whimsical playlist! Enjoy.