One murky part of adulthood: knowing when to press on versus when to give yourself grace. There are days where I self-motivate by saying: “take it all the way to the top,” “just move the dirt,” “nothing changes if nothing changes.” And there are other days where I release my foot from the pedal: go easy, go gently; slow down. Confoundingly, both tacks are correct, but they must be judiciously applied within the evolving swing of my emotional and physical bandwidth. For example, some days, it’s OK to skip my workout — bad sleep, a packed schedule, other priorities playing trump. But most days, I must be stern with myself: “you have no excuse; get on the bike.” Tricky to play parent to yourself in these matters.
Still, there are a handful of things I consider “DNPs” — Do Not Postpones — because letting them slip carries the high likelihood of causing significant regret. These are:
Dental cleanings*
Commitments with my parents
Burning the candles I love
Wrestling a writing idea onto the page**
Date night
Apologizing
Starting something you’ve always wanted to do (trust me: there is no perfect time; the only thing between you and your goals is time and trying)
Making the appointment to get something checked out
Boundary-setting conversations***
Using the good china and wearing the good jewelry
Trips with only my husband
Noticing beauty in its smallest denominations — I should never be too busy (or too lazy) to observe the turning trees, the cardinals nesting in our arbor vitae, the canticle of the breeze
Saying “I love you”
Remembering that today, with all its imperfections, is a limited-edition gift
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*If you know how often I white knuckle my way to the appointment…but I swear the few I’ve skipped have led to dental hell)
**I truly believe, a la Steinbeck, “nothing good gets away,” but sometimes I’ll lose the punchiness of a particular line if I don’t write it down immediately, even if the sentiment lingers.
***The hardest for me to accomplish; I fail at this regularly, but keep it prominently and aspirationally placed on the DNP list.
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What are your top “DNPs”?
Shopping Break.
+SO many great fair isles out this season, but I’m currently swooning over this black and white one. Imagine with black velvet pants, or ecru denim?
+Chic new cashmere ribbed knit dress.
+This navy cord blazer with the knit cuff detail is SO good. Available in other materials here. I’m a big fan of Favorite Daughter — it’s like Veronica Beard’s equally cool younger sister. I really love their outerwear — how fab is this dramatic houndstooth coat?!
+Sezane’s new collection with Antoinette Poisson is Chic with a capital C. I love this fabulous top (imagine with the Colby pant for holiday cocktails), this corded vest, this patchwork jacket.
+Insane Goop sale happening on incredible brands…I truly wonder if they’ve made some markdown errors? Perfect denim jacket from La Ligne, Savette clutch, Ulla J gown ($690, now $207?!), La Double J skirt, Rue De Verneuil tote! And she has also discounted some of their house label sweaters, which — as you know — I love. Consider this PERFECT fisherman sweater!
+Gorgeous evening dress for under $300.
+Fun statement cardigan.
+Scooped up this football hat for my son! Maisonette is currently offering free ship on anything! I like the colors in this hat; goes perfectly with his red Patagonia. Gap is also offering good deals on cold weather accessories — I love this RL-leaning striped set!
+While you’re at Gap: love this joyful scarf! The brushed texture is fab – reminded me of styles from higher-end brands like Acne and Loewe.
+Eek these LR heels are so fabulous for holiday. Love that they’re not ON THE NOSE holiday, but feel festive.
+Dreamy wear-over-everything sweater.
+Ooo this belted faux fur jacket.
+Good deals on kids ski helmets (select colors) here and here.
+Landon bought himself new skis this year! We are trying to commit to making this a family activity this year, so we rented skis for the rest of us. He got a pair of Volkl Mantras, Marker Griffon bindings, and Salomon ski boots. Of course ski gear is so personal and dependent on skill, type of skiing, etc, but I’m always intrigued by gear, and Landon researches everything so heavily. (He has a racing background, so his picks skew towards a more aggressive/advanced skiier.)
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