A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 1 – Let Our Imagination Take The Lead
April 19, 2020
I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. .
Day 1 is titled “Have a Paris State of Mind” in Fiona Ferris’s book 30 Chic Days. Fiona lays out her fun and easy approach to enjoying daily life. She takes the time to list out what a “beautiful, well-lived” life is for her. Once she creates her “dream life” list of components (like a puttering about in a minimalist styled kitchen, enjoying a petite, healthy and gorgeous meal, feeling slim and chic as she goes about her daily tasks), she fills in the visual and emotional details of each list item. With this comprehensive techno-color vision of her “dream day”, she can see where she is already living that “dream day.” (Yea! More things to celebrate and be grateful for.) The other benefit of this exercise is that now she knows where to put her attention to bring about gentle improvement in her habits or surroundings to nudge her daily experience closer to her vision. What I found especially appealing about Fiona’s discussion is that her vision now works to inspire her to incorporate positive tweaks to her day. She uses the “carrot” approach to beguile and charm herself closer to her ideal.
I found a lot to love when I reread Day 1. Not only is her vision of what she calls an “idealized French girl” life captivating, but her process of discovering her personal vision sounds fun. I now use Fiona’s question technique to get my brain ticking (see Day 21 here). I spend a little time before bedtime thinking up a good question (I want to be sure I ask exactly what I searching for.) Then I ask myself the question as I am drifting off to sleep. Last night, I asked myself, “What would my dream life look and feel like after this CoVid-19 lockdown crisis lifts?” This morning, I took my trusty notebook and pen with me on my “gratitude” walk. After a bit of exploring on my way to the nearby park, I found a sunny bench and settled in for some “idealized life” daydreaming. Ideas flowed out easily onto the page. After about 20 minutes, I read back over what I had written. The items on my list sounded authentic as well as enticing. I’ve put my list away for the moment but I’ll come back to it later tonight and over the next week to evaluate the contents. Stay tuned to hear more about the list and what new thoughts it sparks.
Let’s close out 30 Chic Days with a brief discussion of what I’ve learned by trying an idea from each of the days. (We won’t hit every day – just some highlights!)
Day 4 – “Make-up Your Eyes” – I definitely like this idea of putting just a bit of extra effort into one’s appearance in the morning. It doesn’t have to be the eyes or grooming, it could easily be hair styling or maybe a new habit of having the kitchen in better shape. Just something that shows that you value yourself and makes your daily experience a little nicer. I introduced an eye-shadow and a thicker eye-liner to my morning makeup routine. I did try mascara but didn’t like the “feel” of it. One thing that I learned – the, ahem, “architecture” of my eyelid has changed over the years. I needed to incorporate both a new technique and different technology for the eye-liner. Now I’m feeling more “put together” as I go about my day. (This turned out to be good timing – video conferencing can be merciless in portraying our appearance.)
Day 8 – “Be Beautifully Positive” – This was a bit of a challenge during this CoVid-19 lockdown period. What I consider to be my “regularly scheduled life” is on hold at the moment (like everyone else in the rest of the world.) The “Be Beautifully Positive” intention has helped me keep consciously directing my thoughts to more positive-focused topics. As soon as I become aware that I’m about to go off the rails into some “worry cycle,” I try to find a more positive, happier train of thought. It must be working a bit because my husband recently commented that I seem to be “rolling with the punches” more easily and peacefully this Spring.
Day 21 – “Inspire Yourself” – I mention using the “ask yourself a big question” trick above. I was surprised that somehow my brain chewed on the question (even when I was in a bad mood) and spit out some good ideas! Now, I’m a fan of the trick and have modified it a bit to use it at night right before sleep. When I wake up, I seem to have a full essay response just waiting for me.
Day 27 – “Embrace Creativity” – This everyday blogging effort is the chief example of me trying a new creative direction! I’ve had fun with it and it has given me something positive to focus on each day. Interacting with readers has been the biggest joy. One other creative endeavor that I’ve tried is making a DIY hand pomade. My hands were so dry from the constant washing that my normal moisturizer couldn’t keep up. During a volunteer group video-meet, one of my pals described how to make your own “high octane” hand pomade. Normally, I would have thought, “how nice” and just forgotten about the idea. Since it was actually Day 27 and I was trying to “Embrace Creativity,” I took notes, went out and got the few (very inexpensive!) ingredients and, presto! I have a great hand oil/cream that has made a big difference. (Both effective and cheap – score!)
Day 2 – “Eat Real Food” – I’m trying. It’s good that I reread this day and really paid attention to it because I am a stress & boredom muncher. Happily, Fiona gives us some good “mind hacks” to gently lead my inner-cookie-monster towards better foods and better activities. I am trying the “Be a Food Snob” approach to slow down the Marks&Spencers All-Butter Shortbread cookie (in all it’s bright red, crackly plastic bag glory) consumption. I have told myself that I may have a sweet “snack” totally guilt-free if I make it from scratch AND I serve it attractively to myself on a pretty tray with a cup of tea. (I have zucchini bread in the oven as I type this.)
I have really enjoyed reading Fiona’s 30 Chic Days and trying one idea from each “Day”! Who knew that a pandemic lockdown could be put to good use? I hope you’ve had fun reading along with me. I would love to hear if you’ve tried some ideas from the “Days” yourself.
Please stay tuned: Paris lockdown continues so Fiona is riding to the rescue once again with 30 More Chic Days!
