I have noticed a recent online campaign to promote more whimsy in our daily lives, and I’m fully on board. As a lifelong lover of fantasy (and sci-fi), getting lost in the whimsical affairs of fairies and elves and general badass heroines is my jam. There is magic and adventure and breathtakingly beautiful natural worlds bursting from every page of some of my childhood favorites. I love a reimagined and empowered fairytale. But life is not a fairytale, and the current state of our world reminds me that whimsy is as much about creating spaces of joy, play, and wonder as it is about escaping the confines of real-world expectations and restrictions.
Whimsy: the quality or state of being whimsical or fanciful. Webster’s Dictionary
This is particularly revolutionary for Black women who rarely have the luxury of being whimsical. We don’t often get to be carefree spirits, even though it is the natural state for so many of us. If you think back enough, you can easily identify the Black girl who was in her own world, always a little delulu, and totally moving to the beat of her own drum. If you need help painting a picture, may I recommend you go see You, Me, and Tuscany expeditiously! We could all stand to be delulu from time to time if for no other reason than to remind us that everything doesn’t have to be planned to succeed and everything doesn’t require permission to proceed. We can be spontaneous or do the unexpected thing from time to time.
I should warn you that I don’t believe in living a life you have to escape from. I do, however, encourage everyone to create spaces where you can slow down, breathe deeply, dream up possibilities, and laugh with the fullness of your soul. Sometimes, that means stopping to smell the roses, or tulips as I do every year at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Other times that means enjoying playtime with reckless abandon. It always means allowing yourself to be silly and carefree regardless of what others think of you. (You can’t control other people’s opinions of you anyway!)
In this season of embracing whimsy, I have found myself enjoying playtime like I used to before work got so demanding and every moment of my schedule filled up with obligations to one thing or another. One Saturday a few months ago, I decided to pick up my Nintendo Switch and start playing Animal Crossing again. The cozy, warm fuzzies of building my own island paradise have sparked new levels of endorphins. I can play this sweet little game for hours and I have found it a great way to slow down and break away from daily routine.
Being outside will always top being inside for me. Me and nature go together real bad. I have yet to meet a trail, waterfall, lake, river, or seafront I have not enjoyed wandering through. Whether the space becomes the backdrop of a writing or journaling session, the composition of sounds creates the soundtrack of my latest read, or an opportunity to move my body while soaking up some vitD, nature is gonna hit every time.
But my favorite thing about my current pursuit of whimsy is the celebration of girlhood in all its facets. I have had so much fun with my girls lately. The past few months have been filled with professional sports games, book clubs, road trips, concerts, movie nights, karaoke, arts & crafts, and drinks & chitchats. I love it all. And I want it all. I feel lighter and more joyful despite the dumpster fire we are living in. It’s not an escape; it’s refilling my cup so I am ready for the resistance, fortified for the fight. It’s called balance.
How are you pursuing whimsy?
