Hello! Halloween is upon us, can you believe it! Do you have any fun plans? Are you dressing up this year? An owl, a “good” witch, and Maverick are running around my home this weekend 🙂 I’ll post pictures on Instagram tomorrow. If you saw my Instagram post on beauty yesterday you’ll get why I’m so proud of my girls for their costumes. They could have chosen some trendy superhero or Disney character, but instead they opted for pretty, nature-inspired costumes. Even Emme’s witch costume, had to be a “good” witch, with a flower broom and soft pretty colors! But, on to today’s post …
I’ve been so excited to share this recent collaboration I discovered between Annie Selke and Marie Flanigan. While Annie’s style is often a bit too bright and bold for me, Marie brings a neutral, elegant touch of which I simply cannot get enough.
You can shop the entire collection here. Grab Marie’s book, The Beauty of Home, Redefining Traditional Interiors here; and her website is a feast for the eyes and full of inspiration and design ideas! On my list: that gorgeous velvet pillow! And if you sign up for emails, you also get 15% off your purchase.
And speaking of beautiful, have you seen the French film The Fox and the Child? It’s the story of a 10-year-old girl who stumbles upon a fox in the woods one day, and over time, due to her patience and persistence, the two of them become friends. It’s a wonderful story for children with gorgeous cinematography, and stunningly beautiful nature scenes. The ending provides a valuable lesson on love — one even adults need to be reminded of from time to time.
Kate Winslet narrates the English version, available here. I highly recommend adding it to your fall watchlist. My 3-year-old son asks to watch it at least once a week!
Our kiddos attend a classical education school, which means I get the pleasure of reading beautiful literature and poetry that I either forgot I’d read or, having attended a public school, never had the chance to read as a child. Three times a year, all the parents at our school attend a history and literature event, where we get a preview of all the topics our children will cover in the upcoming trimester. If you’re unfamiliar with classical education, history and literature are generally studied in four year increments: the Ancients, BC 5000-400 AD; Medieval/Early Renaissance, 400-1600; Late Renaissance/Early Modern, 1600-1850; and Modern Times, 1850-Present. Using this method, students cover these historical periods, at differing degrees of depth of course, three times during their 1st-12th grade education: the grammar stage (1st – 4th grade), the logic stage (5th – 8th grade), and the rhetoric stage (9th – 12th grade). This year, our kids are studying the Medieval/Early Renaissance period, so Jacob and I got a primer on the history and literature of the time. One of the teachers shared a poem written during this period by Rumi, a 13th century poet and philosopher. I thought I’d share it with you all today because I found it very beautiful, thought-provoking, and, although roughly 800 years old, relevant to our time.
The Guest House
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
This poem in all it’s ancient wisdom is telling us something very important. Have you noticed the mental health challenges we’re facing today? Particularly the mental health issues our kid’s are facing today? The reasons for this are numerous and complex — far too many to cover here. While I agree we are feeling more emptiness, sadness, and meaninglessness than we used to, I think we’re also suffering from an epidemic of unrealistic expectations in terms of our emotions.
Whether it be our privileged lifestyles in 21st century America or the endless barrage of luxury, excess, and success (most of which is fake) we see on social media, many youth today seem to believe something is wrong unless they feel happiness and experience abundance all the time. This is simply untrue. The human experience is replete with not only joy, but sorrow, anger, and unimaginable tragedy. We will sometimes feel sad, confused, frustrated, or lost. That is normal. Younger generations no longer recognize the reality of the human condition, nor do they possess the skills to cope with these sometimes unwelcome, difficult feelings. They bury them, numb them with substances, or run to a doctor who promptly prescribes medication.
But what if the answer were to accept those emotions, welcome them even — they’re telling you something, something you shouldn’t ignore, numb, or medicate away. What if we encouraged our kids to just sit with those feelings, acknowledge them, process them, and then consciously and wisely choose how to respond? What if Rumi was on to something: our emotions, even the very painful ones, are guiding us to action, to make some change, to open us up to something new, or to urge us to let go of something we no longer need? We will only discover what action is needed if we invite them in and listen.
One quick caveat before I close on this topic — there are certainly some individuals who do indeed suffer from a serious mental health issue and require professional treatment. My analysis of Rumi’s poem is not meant to suggest these individuals are weak or shouldn’t seek help. Under certain circumstances, professional treatment is necessary, welcome, and nothing to be ashamed of.
Since we’re firmly in the fall months now, it’s time share one of my favorite fall seasonal styles — corduroy! It’s such a timeless fall staple, and there are gorgeous options this year because although it’s a fall classic, it just happens to be “in” this year. Everything old is new again.
Finally, here’s one of my favorite recipes we rely on regularly, particularly in the colder months. If you like beef bourguignon, but don’t like the long prep time, this one’s for you!
It comes from a delightful little cookbook I picked up a few years ago — In the French Kitchen With Kids by Mardi Michels. It’s chockful of traditional French recipes that are kid-friendly and easy-ish to prepare. My kid’s love helping out … no surprise, the pastry section is their favorite! Bon appétit!
Have a great week and check back for a fall/winter shoe post, tips on creating a beautiful home space, and more seasonal looks (all of which you can check out in the blog sidebar!
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