Today was a Fairytale: Romanticize Your Life to Enhance your Everyday

To romanticize the world is to make us aware of the … mystery and wonder of the world; it is to educate the senses to see the ordinary as extraordinary, the familiar as strange, the mundane as sacred, the finite as infinite.

―Novalis

Every evening, my dad would read to me before I went to sleep, whisking me away to faraway lands of fantasy, adventure, and love.

Despite all odds—the dramatic twists and turns, evil spells, gruesome battles, and seemingly impossible obstacles, no story ever ended without a “happy ever after.”

Because of these stories, I believed good always overcame evil, the knight always slayed the dragon, and the prince always came to rescue the princess.

So you can imagine, the older I grew, the more I saw how the real world conflicted with the ideals I admired about the imaginary kingdoms my dad read to me about.

In the real world, the bad guys win. The dragon destroys the knight. The prince never comes.

AKA corrupt business leaders get away with committing fraud. A violent and guilty criminal sweet talks the judge into ruling in his favor. You get stood up by a date.

As adults, there are two ways we can respond to the realities of life. 

The first and easiest option, which also happens to feel the safest, is to drown ourselves in cynicism and give way to despair. 

Give up our faith, shut down our emotions, and disengage with life itself. Stop dreaming and settle. 

The second response is far sweeter but requires risk, courage, and heart. 

Romanticize life. 

Look at the world, our lives, the people we love for not what they currently are but for how they could be in the best possible circumstances.

And then do whatever it takes to help that dream become reality. 

In doing this, we bring heaven to earth. 

It doesn’t have to be dramatic. It can be simple. But it must be deliberate, intentional. 

We must choose. Daily. Moment by moment. No matter how dark or painful it gets. We must choose hope. For hope is the antidote to cynicism. 

Inspired by the 5 senses, here are 5 ways to romanticize your life to enhance your everyday (and bring heaven to earth):

5 Ways to Romanticize Your Life to Enhance Your Everyday

1) Design the Space of Your Dreams

If you think about it, your home is one of the only places on earth where you can decide how you want things to be. Everywhere else on earth, you are subjected to someone else’s architectural and design choices. 

But at home, you have the final say and can create the space of your dreams.

Transform your home into your personal heaven by using color palettes that bring you peace, artwork that inspires you and fills you with joy, bookshelves filled with books that inspire you and awaken your creative and intellectual passions, and photos of loved ones that bring you back to your favorite childhood memories. 

If you’re struggling to figure out how to do this, try making a Pinterest board for just one space in your home or apartment that you’d like to romanticize. Then, slowly bring the vision to life by adding in the elements that resonate with your soul.

Your eyes will feast on the designs you create and make you feel like you’re living in your own personal dreamland. 

2) Play Soundtracks that Take You to New Worlds

Whenever life starts to feel dull or disappointing, there is nothing like playing a soundtrack from one of my favorite movies to completely transform my mindset.

I work as a book editor for a living, and the moment I turn on the Little Women soundtrack, suddenly, I am Jo March pounding the keys on my typewriter while producing a work of literary genius (which I can expect the Professor to promptly rip to pieces). 

The music fills me with a sense of purpose and dramatic significance to whatever work I’m taking on and reminds me of the deeper meaning behind my work.

If I need a boost of confidence, I turn on the Legally Blonde soundtrack, and suddenly I am Elle Woods getting into Harvard (and looking great doing it). 

When I need to feel beautiful, classy, or elegant, The Parent Trap and Cinderella (2018 version) never fail to do the trick. And let’s not forget The Nutcracker or The Holiday to fill me with whimsey in winter.

Curate a playlist of your favorite soundtracks for all occasions and seasons, and watch how the music transforms your mood and perception of the tasks at hand.

3) Infuse Your Atmosphere with Aromatic Scents 

Another way to romanticize your life is through filling your home with aromatic scents that transport you to your favorite places and memories.

‘Water’ by Trapp Candles is my favorite fragrance of all time. I will never forget receiving my first candle as a birthday present from a friend back in high school. 

The moment I opened the top of the little house-shaped box, the scent brought me an immediate sensation of floating in the ocean waves. 

To this day, when I fill my apartment with Water using Trapp’s oil diffuser, I feel like I am at peace by the sea. 

I also keep a vial of anointing oil from Jerusalem to remind me of my travels. The smells take me back to the bustling streets and rooftops overlooking the Holy land.

Alternatively, you may have a loved one who wore a certain perfume or lotion and could keep them on hand to preserve their presence in your lives.

Scent is a powerful yet often underestimated sense we can utilize to enhance our everyday lives.

4) Surround Yourself with Soft Fabrics

I always used to hate winter and cold weather until a few years ago when I read The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Weiking, which celebrates the Danes’ affinity for all things cozy (aka “hyggelig”).

I learned how the Danish people embrace the cold dark of winter as a time to cuddle with loved ones, read by candlelight, and curl up under soft blankets. 

After reading the book, I decided to break up with my long-term disdain for winter and learned to embrace it by wearing wool socks, plush robes, cashmere sweaters, shearling slippers, and goose down jackets.

The soft sensations bring warmth and comfort to the skin and soul, inviting a new affection for the holiday season.

But you don’t have to wait for winter to enjoy the feeling of fabric. In the summer, you can use fluffy, fresh cotton towels at the beach, pool, or when getting out of the shower and wear breezy linen that keeps you cool and dry in the scorching heat. 

Enjoy soft fabrics all-year long to delight in the sense of touch.

5) Invest in Quality Ingredients 

While I don’t cook much, I am very careful about what I put into my body. I know there are innumerable connections between nutrition and mental and physical health, and I was blessed to be raised by a mother who prioritized investing in healthy food over cheap, processed items.

Where is the food you are eating coming from? Is it mostly whole fruits and vegetables from the earth or processed items that are weighing you down and contributing to inflammation and disease?

Invest in high-quality organic and locally grown foods to nourish your mind and body to become the best they can be. Oh, and make sure it’s all delicious, too! 

With so much darkness in the world right now, some may say romanticizing one’s life is childish, cowardly, or a form of escapism. 

I say, romanticizing your life is a courageous response to a cynical society. 

Romanticizing your life helps you preserve the faith, hope, and love you need to transform the lives of those around you for the better. 

I challenge you to be a believer in miracles and fairytales. 

Now, let’s bring heaven to earth. Together.

If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.

—C.S. Lewis