Cynicism Is Easy

 

 

This weekend I strolled through a local antique store. I wasn’t searching for anything specific, just taking a mental break. I turned the first corner, and this landscape painting caught my eye. It was quiet and weathered, full of sky and stillness. I admired it for a while and felt a deep pull to bring it home. 

 

The world feels heavy these days. Maybe the calmness this framed piece held was what moved me most? Headlines blur into heartache, and even my quiet corners seem touched by weariness. I find it tempting, sooo tempting, to meet this world with contempt and let my eyes blur with anger or to lose heart. 

 

Cynicism is easy. 

 

It lets us feel right without being kind. 

It lets us shout without listening.

The hardness of the world can stir such emotions of anger, gloom, and pessimism. And while these feelings deserve some space, they certainly don't deserve sovereignty. Once you've listened, then you've really gotta turn the record over and choose not to replay the same sorrows, tragedies, and traumas on loop. Otherwise, anguish becomes your anthem. 

And I just don't think we were made to echo the ache. We were made to answer it. Eventually, we must decide what kind of presence we will be in the world’s pain.

Gentleness in the face of division. Goodness in the thick of sorrow. Faithfulness when so much feels uncertain. Patience when others are short-tempered. Kindness when cruelty is trending. Self-control when the weight of it all seems too much. Peace when harshness is applauded. Love when others dispense hatred. Joy to believe in a better tomorrow. For me, these are more than Christian virtues. They’re evidence of Christian faith. Galatians 5:22–23

As I reflected on all this, a few decisions I needed to make began to form. If you find yourself needing them too, they’re yours. These decisions were:

• You’re not going to stay sad or hopeless. (You already know what helps...start there.)
• You’re not going to surround yourself with people addicted to outrage and arguing.
• You’re not going to ignore your health. (Get some water, sunlight, fresh air, & move!)
• You’re not going to let bitterness be your default setting.
• You’re not going to give up on people.

Instead, you are going to…

1. Focus on the people right in front of you. (Family, friends, the ones who share your table, your texts, your Tuesdays.)

2. Let rest reshape your perspective. (Give your mind and spirit a break from the media hamster-wheel.)

3. Share your truth without losing your empathy (Cynicism speaks in absolutes. Wisdom speaks to heal, not harm.) 

4. Hold space for complexity. (The reason for any of the world's issues does not fit neatly on heads or tails of a coin. Cynicism demands a villain but the wise know that blaming one “thing” isn't honest.)
   
   
5. Choose to cultivate, not critique. (There is enough tearing down - what or who will you build up?) 

I may have looked a little odd taking a photo of that painting. If it’s still there next time I visit, I plan to bring it home. It feels like a kind of invitation to meet the world differently. The quiet, the misty rain, and the calm green plains reminded me that hopefulness isn’t instinctual. We have to decide to be hopeful. Sometimes that reminder arrives as a calm whisper, like the one held in this painting. And sometimes it’s simply the choice to stay soft in a world that feels sharp.

Wit, Wonder, and Well-Worn

✨ Turning the Page… Almost! ✨

While most planners run January–December, mine follow a gentler rhythm: October to September. That means I’m just a few weeks away from opening my next one. Oh yay! 

Heartistry, this past year’s planner, has grown delightfully plump with adventures, reflections, and memories. Reflecting back, this Heartistry season, themed and inspired by Pride & Prejudice characters, was full of warmth and creative charm. 

🪶Coming soon: The Gilded Scriptoria

My nerdiness knows no bounds as my upcoming planner's theme leans into a royalty vibe based on Disney heroines. However, my heroines are reimagined as adult archetypes full of courage, curiosity, and grace. These are not princesses in castles, but women in motion who navigate real life with security. I can't wait to show you! I’ve already dreamed up activities and pages that honor their spirit and invite a little magic into my weeks ahead. 

Hooray for the new chapters in life "gilded" with intention and joy. 💛

Heartistry - left; Scriptoria - right

Living the Lore: 3 Ways to Enchant Your Day

Most of us have heard the phrase "romanticize your life." Today, I discovered three new ways to weave a bit of magic into my everyday that I hadn’t come across before. This blog was sparked by Baylie Fortier’s video on YouTube.  Let's have some fun! 

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1. Train Like You’re Preparing

Picture this: instead of just exercising, you’re training for battle or for your travel through the wild lands. You’re not just lifting weights or doing yoga but forging the strength to wield your blade with precision and power. Running the treadmill isn’t just cardio, you’re preparing to flee an enemy’s pursuit through the darkened woods.

Example: A Court of Thorns and Roses series - Think of Feyre at Windhave, the Illyrian war-camp, or Nesta training high in the sparring ring atop the House of Wind. Every movement is more than just working out...you are preparing to defend your realm. 

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2. Write About Yourself in the Third Person

There’s something that shifts mentally when narrating your own life like it’s part of an epic tale. You are the world-weaver! 

Here’s an example when I thought about my drive to work today:

As pink and gray sunlight crested the hills, the light-keeper pulled a soft shroud around her shoulders. She sipped a chilled, creamy brew and noted a mist curling over the meadows but felt there was nothing nefarious in its movement. After a deep, calming breath, she walked over and slid into her traveling vessel. It was a blue machine bearing the power of 151 unseen phantom stallions. As she took hold of the halo reins, she whispered to herself and the awaking morning, 'Whatever lay ahead, I'm ready.'

When you write about yourself this way, your actions, even small ones, feel more alive and meaningful. And sometimes we just need that. So, finishing a work project can become the final strike that secures victory in the day’s campaign or cleaning changes into banishing the dark spirits that linger in your fortress. It's refreshing.

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3. Rename Landmarks

Your everyday surroundings may feel ordinary, but they can take on new life when you rename them in true fantasy fashion. When I thought about it, I remembered that Anne of Green Gables did this. So, that intersection you drive through? It’s now Prickle Crossroads. The route you run for exercise through the neighborhood? Dragonfly path. The tiny doughnut shop across town? The House of Sugar Enchantments.

Once you rename a place, you can’t help but see it differently because to rename it makes you notice details you once overlooked. Your senses awaken because you are looking for a name to describe the white glow spilling from your office window or renaming the streets on your way to the dentist because a tall cactus always catches your eye at the corner of 5th and Main. The world feels more vibrant because you give it more of a story.

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Enchanting your day in a fantasy style isn’t pretending your reality is something it’s not but maybe just uncovering the magic already there. Why do things have to be bland? So, whether you’re sweating through your “battle training” or renaming the corner store like it's from a fairy tale, I think that weaving a little more wonder into the everyday is beautiful. 

My hope is that tomorrow when you pass your favorite café, or lace up your shoes, or pick up your cell phone, maybe you’ll take a moment and see your life through the eyes of a storyteller.

The Quiet Question That Guides Me

Recent Sunflower at my home

Some choices pull you in fast, but not every pull is worth following. I’ve been asking myself a question and it's been helping me cut through the noise and find what actually feels right. Basically it's, “What am I really reaching for?” And this is helping me see my true desires verses those that are negatively emotion driven. 

• True Desires reflect your values and support your long-term goals.

• Emotional driven feelings are temporary distractions, filler impulses or disguised needs.

Here are a few examples:

• About to scroll social media: Am I craving connection or just avoiding boredom? What am I really reaching for?

• Feeling I need to exercise: Do I want to care for my body or just a response to outside pressure. What am I really reaching for?

• Sudden urge for a new purchase: Do I really need this or am wanting the thrill of impulse buying? What am I really reaching for?

• Considering a new commitment: Do I genuinely want to be part of it, or am I saying yes out of obligation. What am I really reaching for?

• Calling a friend: Do I want to connect with them or am I seeking their reassurance or validation? What am I really reaching for?

This little check-in has been helping me choose activities with intention instead of reaction. It’s a shift I didn’t know I needed until recently so I thought I'd share. :) 

Seeking Pemberley: Our Ladies' Elegant Escape

 

Philbrook gardens

In June, I had the joy of taking a much needed trip with my mom and daughter. I called it our Ladies Elegant Escape. The idea was simple but powerful: to step away from the routines of caring for everyone else and simply care for ourselves.

We leaned into every moment, savoring great food without rushing, lingering over pie, laughing freely, and letting ourselves just be. There is something deeply restorative about carving out space for three generations to connect, uninterrupted.

One of the most memorable activities was visiting the beautiful Philbrook Museum of Arts and gardens in Tulsa, OK. This stop fit perfectly with my Heartistry – Pride & Prejudice inspired activities. Walking through the elegant galleries and looking out over the gardens felt like visiting Pemberley itself. It was beautiful and peaceful, with just the right touch of history and charm to make it unforgettable. No photos do justice to any of these paintings but I've put some of my favorites below with details. If you click on the photos, they should be larger. 

Side note: The museum also surprised us with a Samurai exhibition. The intricate armor and striking displays added a dramatic contrast to the soft elegance of the galleries and garden. 

The Shepherdess (Pastourelle)

William-Adolphe Bouguereau

1889

Meadow and Sheep

Rosa Bonheur

1891

"An Angry Sea” by Thomas Moran (1887)

"Judith" 1675 by Simone Pignoni 
Her expression close up was fascinating.

The Prince Who Was Hidden

N. C. Wyeth

1929

My cute coffee cup at the AirB&B. :)

Love her! 

Momma is so beautiful!

Momma with 

Dante and Beatrice window

D'Ascenzo Studios

c. 1927

Female Great Dane by Anna Hyatt Huntington 
One of the first works to enter the Philbrook collection in 1939
People shouldn't, but you can see visitors have pat the pup on the head and 
kissed it's nose a few times.

Eight Bells

Winslow Homer

1887

"Grand Canal at Venice"

"How to be Happy though Single" - 1891; Julia B. Folkard

Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John

Felice Schiavoni

1850
This was more beautiful than I ever imagined. 
I had to go back to view it once more before we left. 

“Three Sisters” (2024) by Muscogee Creek Artist
The Three Sisters is a Native American gardening method where corn, beans, 
and squash are planted together. Each helps the others grow — 
corn supports beans, beans enrich the soil, and squash shades the ground.

(Les Pommes)  The Apples, 1947 - The first Pablo Picasso painting I've seen in person.
I did not like it...at first, but it's grown on me. 

Amphora with Heracles and Dionysus Greek, Circa: 530 BCE !!!

The Death of Cato

Mathieu Ignace Van Brée

1797

This was my favorite painting. 
The delicate silk dress and the subtle details revealed themselves the longer I looked. 
It brought me to tears. A closer photo is below. 

 

The Apparition of the Host to Saint Thomas Aquinas

Francesco de Mura

c. 1735

Gosh! "The Death of Cleopatra" - Caspar Netscher 1673

 

 Bathsheba at Her Toilette 

Jean François de Troy

c. 1750

 

In person, King David's lurking doesn't catch your eye right away 
but it stands out when you view it from the left.

Famous Blue Whale on Route 66

Morning in the Woods

Worthington Whittredge

c. 1868-75