“May I have the strength to endure what cannot be changed and the courage to change what can be changed, but also the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.”
Marcus Aurelius.
Hello, young Padawan
The days have been getting longer since December 21. Yes, I assure you, we are starting to see it because it is no longer dark at 5 p.m. Season of nature’s rest before the return of spring, winter, with its dry cold and white light, invites us to meditate, calm, and even wisdom.
The atmosphere is on pause, but you still have to put all the chances on your side to succeed in relaxing in this world of everything immediate, everything digital, everything tactile, and take a step back in this soulless, infantilizing society. Yes, you already know, your faithful servant devotes limitless love to this century in distress, to this end of Neronesque civilization. Still, since we do not choose, and because we have to live with it, we might as well put poetry in our daily life, some attitude in our style (see: my article here, ed), love in the tasks to be carried out, gentleness in our relationships with others, and serenity in our winters, in the goal to be ready, joyful and inspiring for spring.
It’s not that difficult to set up; you need to prepare your environment for this moment of relaxation, like a winter ritual, to reduce every day tensions to a more physiological level.
Let’s go.
A winter pause.
First, for a successful pause, you need to be warm. Those who know me know that I am anything but chilly, and yet…
A few years ago, I offered a chilly friend an electric blanket so he could read comfortably. Since then, the guy has adopted his blanket so much that I always see him with it on his sofa in winter. One freezing Sunday, he had me test it. We shared the precious heating blanket during a movie session, and I admit that I appreciated the concept so much that I bought one the following year. It’s true that comfort is still very pleasant when you get down to it!
Now that we’re settled in, what do we drink? My two favorite teas this winter are Parisian Chai and Christmas Spirit from Mariage Frères. So yes, it says “Christmas” on the package, but what’s stopping us from treating ourselves to a good tea with sweet and warming spices, may I ask? If you want more cozy drink ideas, you can click here, here, here, here, here, and there.
A break with a good book is great, but it’s even better with the little object that a friend, an avid reader, gave me. In the presentation photo of this article, which you can see at the bottom, you may have noticed a small object with a hole made of walnut wood. This object allows you to keep your book open effortlessly by placing your thumb inside, even if you have a large one of 600 pages in your hands.
Then, to bring an atmosphere of relaxation to this moment, there is nothing better than a candle with pleasant scents. Right now, I’m with the Tea and Gingerbread candle from l’Artisan Parfumeur, but you can also click here or here for other ideas.
Finally, there are two little bonuses. If you read the article from two weeks ago on hand care, why not take advantage of this little winter pause to take care of them with a good, very comforting hand cream (but not oily for hours either, ed) that smells of pear and vanilla, and why not take the opportunity to apply a face mask whose ingredients will both warm your skin and soul, like this exfoliating radiance mask with sweet scents of chocolate from Evolve. They recommend putting it on for 5 minutes before adding a little water to exfoliate the skin gently. Still, I leave it on my skin for at least 20 minutes to benefit from the many active ingredients contained in this wonder. My sensitive skin tolerates it great; I did it again this morning and left it on for much longer. After exfoliation, don’t forget to moisturize properly for optimal results. You can go here and there for ideas for day and evening skincare rituals.
And here are the ideas for this winter to take a break in serenity, calm, and joy mode. The joy of finding yourself in peace for a moment, for tea and a few pages of reading, with or without a mask on your face or a candle, is your break, after all, your little chill moment.
I wish you a wonderful weekend with complete peace of mind.
XO ⛄️
