Sometimes we forget how beautiful the world around us is. Sometimes we forget about the beautiful life experiences we’ve had and how our world is different for them. Sometimes it’s good to reminisce, to pause, and to realize just how beautiful each season is. Do I need to say again how much I love fall? I’m sure I don’t. Last fall I was in a very different place both literally and emotionally. This time last year I was living in Copenhagen, Denmark. I was fortunate enough to have both the time and the resources to travel, live, and work in another country. Not everyone’s story will include travel and fewer still have a story involving ex-patriotism, although I am convinced if you truly want to travel, and truly want to live and work in a foreign country you can. People say they don't have the money or time and while these things can limit how you travel they don’t need to limit your ability to travel. If you would rather spend your resources on other things that is perfectly acceptable, but if you want to travel, deep in your soul, you can. Let’s start at the beginning of this journey. Karl and I had a co-op work term at school and decided this was the time to go somewhere far and unexpected. We discussed China, Germany, Denmark, New Zealand and so on. We eventually settled on an English speaking nation for ease of our everyday lives. We had a love for the Nordic countries and knew English was common in these regions and then one day we (maybe I) just decided on Copenhagen, just because. We then went through the necessary paperwork (which as a Canadian really wasn’t hard). We booked our tickets before any of this came through because we had 90 days from the day we landed before we would have been kicked out. We then began looking for somewhere to live and work and neither of these things came easy but we figured once we were there things would be easier because we could meet people in person. And so we landed in Denmark on September 1st, 2015 with no home, no job, and no work permit. We stayed in hotels for a week before our hotel budget ran dry. On our 7th day we attended a “new to Copenhagen” meet up and it just happened to come out that it was our last night where we had somewhere to stay. The hosts of this event were the most gracious and kind people who opened their home to us and gave us a loving handout when we needed it most. These people were the love of God incarnate to us. We stayed with them for a week before we found a place to live! Within a matter of days we found jobs and life seemed to be falling into place. Not long after that we were given the OK to go to the country, live, and work, for a maximum of a year (although we had no intention of staying that long). This was the day we received our permits to live and work. We were walking back and cut through this park, we looked at each other and thought, “We really live here (and are legal residents now).” The magic of Scandinavia will never be lost on me and the simplistic beauty of their everyday lives nearly makes my heart explode. I have said it before and I will say it again, it is the most magical place on earth. Speaking of: this is Tivoli - the world’s second oldest amusement park still in operation. The oldest is a place called Dyrehavsbakken (or Bakken for short) that is about a 30 minute drive away. Karl and I had the distinct pleasure of working on projects in that park during our work term. But back to Tivoli: the most magical place on earth. It opened in 1843 and is said to have been an inspiration for Walt Disney when creating Disneyland. Although unlike Disneyland, this adorable park where you could do every attraction in a day, has remained quaint and feels magically true to its old-world beginnings. The first ride we ever rode in Tivoli turned out to be the oldest and our favourite. A little wooden rollercoaster (simply named The Rollercoaster) winds and turns through a mountain that was just cute enough to look like a good place to start. We boarded this adorable coaster behind tiny children and pulled the lap bar down until it clicked into place a good foot above my lap. I thought I was in for a quaint kiddie ride when we took off clip-clapping along. We rounded the corner into the pitch black of the mountain and then all of a sudden, without any warning, we were flying down a huge drop. My butt lifted off the seat as I gripped that wiggly lap bar tightly laughing and screaming out of sheer surprise. We jostled around corners and flew down hills and the ride did not calm down until we reached the end. I walked off the ride shaking and laughing uncontrollably. We had totally been fooled by the appearance of this ride. We later discovered that it is one of the world’s oldest operational wooden rollercoasters. This thing was built over a hundred years ago and trust me when I say you can feel it. It is not the fastest coster in the park, it never flips you upside down like other rides in the park, it is not very high, and it never launches you off but each rickety turn and breath-taking drop makes it one of the most thrilling rides. As it turns out the whole ride works by having someone sit in the middle of the car and pulling a hand break to prevent it from speeding too fast and flying off the tracks. It’s magic. The charm mixed with terror is incomparable. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the surprise of our fist time riding it and a part of me is saddened that I’ll never have that first again. The picture above is of the Tivoli main gates during Halloween season. Tivoli is more than rides and thrills, it’s parks and ponds, shops, plays, concerts, events, fireworks, and at Halloween it is also Denmark’s largest pumpkin contest. These were last year’s contestants and since they were fenced off from people you might not be able to tell that these suckers are as big as a person and hundreds of kilograms (a quarter of a ton, or over 500 lbs). There are hay bales throughout the park, scarecrows and jack-o’-lanterns everywhere, falling leaves, and the smell of hot apple cider. Pure bliss. But Copenhagen is more than quaint Tivoli or the charm of the simple life. It is the hub of major scientific discoveries, a centre of art and culture, the home of vikings, and birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen and his fairytales, and the great thinker Søren Kierkegaard. Pictured above is his grave. Furthermore, Copenhagen is not just history, its hip qualities didn’t vanish hundreds of years ago. It is innovative. Copenhagen is home to some of the greatest names in modern architecture: BIG, and the late Arne Jacobsen. It has the coolest modern art and design. And it is full of hidden gems like this warehouse full of shipping containers and food trucks that acts as a giant indoor foodcourt with the feeling of being in a New York park full of food trucks. Magic. And possibly the strongest memory of Copenhagen is everything being just a bike ride away. It is the number one mode of transportation and the infrastructure supports that. Bike lanes are another tier of the road, with their own traffic lights and painted lanes, the first lane snow plowed and the busiest part of the street. It’s bridges for bikes when cars have to drive around and it’s well lit paths wherever you are. It’s flat land and strong thighs. It’s exploring with ease and my companion following right behind. It is fond memories enough to last a lifetime.
I pray I never forget any of it. I pray it will serve as a reminder of how beautiful life is, how fortunate I am, and how these days too will one day be remembered fondly. Wherever you are today has a history that goes back so much further than when you set foot there, a present to be forged by you, cherished by you, and one day looked back upon. It has a future that is beyond you, but for this moment, and this time, you get to be a part of its story and history. The world is so much bigger than you in both time and space. Let that humble you, but let it also make you feel special that you had the opportunity to be a part of something huge. Don’t forget your personal journey and all the history you hold. Don’t forget how beautiful your current season of life is either. And promise me to never forget you have a future that is full of so many possibilities. It’s an honour to have you as a part of my story. Truly. Tasia.
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This week we'll be going even deeper into my bedroom. If you missed last week’s blog about my bedroom you can check it out here. Today we talk closet and vanity. Let’s start with the practical and begin in the closet. I was fortunate enough to move into a place with a big closet full of plenty of built-ins. *Swoon!* But do you know what is better than a big closet? A big closet that is not jam-packed full. It took a lot of restraint and some serious purging to get my clothing down to the point where my closet has a comfortable amount of room. I don’t own any other clothing than that in my closet. It’s wonderful to not own a dresser, I would highly recommend it. When your clothing is displayed (even behind closed doors) you are more likely to wear the pieces that call to you and realize you don’t need the pieces that don’t. You can’t just shove it in a drawer that you never open and pretend it doesn’t exist all the while it’s taking up space in your home. As you can clearly see though I don’t have a tiny or capsule wardrobe. I own a very practical and realistic amount of clothing for the average woman. That is to say, it is more than possible for your closet to be this roomy and there is also no real need for someone with the space to own anything less. Getting rid of clothes is hard, and many people have written books on the subject alone. That tells me this is a difficult thing for many, many people. I am not some magical creature who doesn’t struggle with this too. I own clothing I rarely wear and sometimes it takes me a few tries to get rid of something. Here are a few tricks I use to help me purge my clothes.
Once you have done all the purging and your wardrobe is a fraction of the size, celebrate, reward yourself. You did a good thing and you deserve a fancy coffee or a nice meal out. Maybe if your wardrobe was huge and you managed to sell your gently used items you even deserve a vacation. You pick your prize, you know what you earned, but be proud because this is a hard task for almost everyone. So now you have this beautifully curated closet full of things you love that make you look and feel fabulous but you still have to store those clothes. Built-ins are fabulous if that’s in your realm of possibility, but if it is not there are oodles of hanging solutions and cabinets and drawers and baskets etc. I was fortunate enough to have some pretty awesome built-ins except for one major flaw: the shelves were massively tall. Like twice as tall as necessary. So I decided to divide them all in two with this simple method.
But my favourite part of having all my clothing in the closet is closing the doors and not having to look at it when I’m trying to relax in bed. One thing I can see from anywhere in my room is my vanity. I love it. My desk fits perfectly in that nook making it seem as it my vanity is its own separate space. It is its own magical world. It is also the one place in my home I have let loose and allowed all things girly. I used to live in a tiny cottage full of adorably girly things. It suited the space and it suited my life at the time. My friends loved how fairytale-like the whole thing was. It could not have been cuter. But my life has moved on since that time and so have my furnishings. I now aim for a cleaner, simpler style because it leads me to a cleaner, simpler life and mind. But in this cleaner, simpler home I still find room for a touch of the girly. It is a part of me I could never let go. My little girly corner is a special space. The walls are covered in things I love to remind me of beautiful truths. I mentioned in my first post all about details that the places you look at yourself should also be full of encouraging words. We can, more often than not, be our own worst critics and look in the mirror only to find our flaws or tear ourselves down. When I look in the mirror and my periphery is met with kind words and nostalgic images I’m no longer so focused on my face because ultimately, how I look has nothing to do with who I am. The things on the wall remind me of who I am and where my focus should be. At my lowest of times I would start my day with a two minute affirmation in the mirror. I would stand there and stare at myself and spend a full, timed, two minutes affirming what I know to be true. These taped-up pieces of paper are reminiscent of that. The fact that they are merely paper and tape means that I can change them out as often as I need. When one image really speaks to me another lo longer does I can swap them for some fresh inspiration. Good days start with good thoughts and good thoughts can take real intention. Choose happiness, because we have been blessed with that choice, regardless of circumstance. and as Roald Dahl says: “If you think good thoughts they will shine out your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” So really the words are just as important as the mirror.
Surround yourself with beauty, through images, words, and most importantly thoughts. You deserve it, and so does everyone you will encounter today. Truly. Tasia. I know it’s only been a month since this all began but this week we’re taking it to the bedroom. ;) Because…
My bedroom is all about zen. Peace and tranquility rule the day in this room and I think that’s why it is my favourite. Now, if it were at all practical and within my control, my entire house would be white on white on white on cream. But alas my cabinets are wood and my counters are grey, my couch is also not white for the sake of practicality. When it comes to my bed though, I throw caution to the wind and have all white bedding. Believe me, for a girl who does everything in bed, including eat, paint my nails, and write this blog, white sheets seem ridiculous. All I can say is thank God for bleach. Sheets are far easier to bleach than a couch and so, for now, I will live on the wild side with my white bedding. Yes, there are stains from bloody noses and inky pens so my white sheets need to be replaced every few years or so but that becomes true of most sheets over time. Enough about my bed. There are other wonderful parts of my bedroom that I love spending my time in almost (but not quite) as much as my bed. My reading nook is one of them. It’s as simple as a chair placed next to my side table/lamp. This lovely spot is right next to my giant south-facing windows and surrounded by my baseboard heaters. How lovely. It is the perfect place to read a book, quietly reflect, or have a cup of tea. It is one of my favourite parts of my home because it feels secret and private. But back to my table/lamp for a minute. This weird morphing of two separate objects was a school project of mine the winter before last. We were asked to create a lamp with a 1 concrete base, 2 wooden structural pieces, 3 electrical components and 4 other enclosing pieces. We were allowed as many nails, screws, and fasteners as we wanted. Each lamp had to have some sort of theme. My theme was ‘multipurpose’: a lamp that served more than one function. And since I was in need of a side table at the time I created this monster. I hid all the wires inside the table top and in the post and incorporated a light switch on the underside of the table. I am quite pleased with the idea and the design but of course since it was made within a strict deadline a few things fell short. I have yet to buy a proper shade for it and so it has been stuck with this dinky shade for years. It also was not properly stained and sealed but I figure if something happens I’ll just sand it down and stain it and seal it properly. For now it does its job, and the more I write about it, the more I want to fix it up right…one day… Moving on to the TV. Yes I have a TV in my bedroom and yes I have heard all the studies about how terrible I am for allowing this evil box in my sleep space. But where better to watch a movie than from in my bed? That way when I inevitably fall asleep I’m already tucked in for the night. Also, I have often felt the need to justify my bedtime screen time to many people so I might as well do it here and now. I have a very active brain, it never quits, not even when I am asleep. I dream incredibly vivid dreams that I feel physically and emotionally as if I were awake. I dream lucidly (meaning I know it’s a dream while I am dreaming it) and often this can heighten, not diminish the intensity of the dream. When those dreams are lovely I feel privileged to have experienced another world, but when those dreams are actually nightmares my entire mind and body can be affected for the days. My bedroom does not provide an escape from my own mind unless there is this lit box that allows me to watch a “reality” different of that in my head. My nights, and subsequent days, are better when I fall asleep with my last thought having been about the Gilmore Girls rather than my own fears and worries and thoughts. TV is my way to relax and turn my brain off for the 40 minutes those girls fast-talk for. If your sleep is disturbed by the light and sound being in your space of rest remove it, put your TV in another room. If you are like me (and my mother, and my mother’s mother) and you sleep better, more soundly, more peacefully, and longer when the TV is in the bedroom get rid of the guilt and shame. You deserve rest just as much as those that need to take the TV away. Mounting that screen on the wall was my own way of standing up for my health. My bedroom is about resting my mind and comforting my soul so there are a few key items that always warm my heart. These candle holders were made by Karl and I while we were living in Denmark. Here in Halifax we just had Nocturne (if you live in the area and don’t know what that is I highly suggest you look it up and don’t miss out on it next year) but while we were in Copenhagen they had what is the rough equivalent called Kulturnatten (or culture night) that falls on the same night as Nocturne each year. Nocturne is, as its tagline says, “art at night,” where the urban areas become overtaken by art installations, galleries open their doors along with countless local venues to display art, for everyone, for free. Kulturnatten goes one step further and includes all aspects of culture. At the natural resource centre Karl and I witnessed hunting and gathering traditions. We got to craft with antlers and tree branches. These candle holders not only serve to produce soft, tranquil lighting, but they are a reminder of a beautiful memory we shared together. And what could possibly warm my heart more that a sweet note from the man I love? This particular one was written on the back of a movie stub from one of my favourite movies that we watched together. It was written at a time when life was tough for me, I had to get up every morning (sometimes 7 days a week) and go to a place where I found no joy. My heart was constantly heavy. My handsome man went to any measure to combat that and so he took to writing me notes, usually with a black marker (it’s what architects always have on hand) on whatever “paper” around. This included paper towels, lined paper, post-it notes, movie stubs, receipts, and anything else. Some of them had the purpose of relaying a message (that usually told me he had made me tea), some of them were meant to be stumbled upon for a nice surprise, and some of them, like this one, were just there, to tell me that I am loved. The simplicity of this particular note spoke to me the most. Karl didn’t get the joy of hiding it, or the satisfaction of knowing he had done an act of service for me (in my true love language: tea). This note was just because, that’s it. It was the gentle reminder that someone in that building was on my side. That when I arrived, always later than him, there would be a friendly face, a cup of tea, but most importantly love.
That’s really what a bedroom is: a place of love. I don’t just mean “love-making” but really forming love. Creating a space where I can love my mind enough to give it a break, and my body enough to let it relax, my eyes enough to remove colour, clutter, and chaos. Here I can read and reflect and feed my soul, gaze on objects of special memories and even more special people. This is my sanctuary, it’s where I write to you from today. It is my haven as I truly hope yours can be for you. “There is enough chaos in this world, it is your job to simplify it, not add to the chaos.” - Brian MacKay-Lyons to architecture students. Make your bedroom your haven, and if you need help please ask for it, it is my job to simplify your life through your environment, I’d love to help you bring zen to your home. Truly. Tasia. Feel free to leave a question or comment below or contact me through my contact page. :) |
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AuthorTasia Craig recently graduated from Dalhousie's School of Architecture with a Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies and now hopes to showcase her design work on her very first blog. She is currently living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Archives
June 2017
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