At the beginning of the summer, I had the opportunity to visit a delightful and inspiring place: Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, PA. Have you ever been there?
It was a beautiful, breezy day and the sun was shining…the perfect day to delight in what is known as a “Pleasure Garden”….
It is described as “a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home.” YES! And let me tell you about the idea I took home…
Chanticleer is not a garden focused on fussiness or formality. For example, botanical name tags are omitted, allowing the flow and beauty of the garden beds to just wash over the viewer. And there are small scale vignettes within the gardens that make it feel less like a public space, and more like a personal, intimate garden. So lovely.
You see, this got me thinking about our houses…how we often spend way too little time thinking about what would delight us, and waaay too much time focusing on what will impress others.
SO, here is your assignment for this week: think of your home, inside and out, as your own pleasure garden, where you will focus on cultivating your personal enjoyment.
Don’t get too grandiose and stress yourself out trying to perfect this (that is SO not pleasureful). Just focus on small things that you can add (or take away) that will bring you joy and contentment.
Keep your goal in mind of creating personal delight and enjoyment at home each day this coming week. Perhaps put a sign on your bathroom mirror simply stating “ENJOY!”
Here’s the kicker—when we focus on creating this peace and happiness for ourselves, we can’t help but create an atmosphere in which others will feel welcomed and at home. This contentment has a magical quality to it…you will see.
So, let’s stop trying to keep up with the Jones’, and stop feeling that we need to recreate a page out of our favorite decor magazine in every room. Focus on creating contentment for yourself first, and you will see the magical quality it brings to your surroundings, and how it inspires others to just feel good when visiting your home.
Second and last photos from Chanticleer’s website….hope you will visit yourself!
