Today's guest post comes from someone I greatly admire and am inspired by here in the Twin Cities. Brittany Chaffee uses words in such a beautiful, romantic and poetic way that I figured she'd be the perfect person to create a story for what self-love means and how love can come into your life when you least expect it. Please read on and enjoy her melodic musings on romance.
typography by cannedsorbet
We envision love, in the beginning, to be a striking and complicated muscle. But when we fall in love, the movement feels a lot like slipping. The looseness, expansive. Right before I found my now husband, when I was angry and twenty-three years old and tired of dating bad men, my mom told me: “Brittany, love is effortless. You’ll be surprised by it.”
But something else happens when we fall in love. When we come to know people; slip under the looseness of their open hearts, we come to know them as intimately as ourselves. That part is scary. It takes vulnerability. Because, in turn, we have to reach deeper into the pockets of ourselves. If the love is right, we wade deeper into self.
My favorite line in the entire book, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, is this:
“We don’t need other people’s love in order to love ourselves; we don’t need a romantic partner to be ‘complete.’ But we need other people to teach us how to love ourselves best.”
A month before I fell in love with my husband, I finally found peace with being alone. I thought: you are beautiful and twenty-four. Your world has only recently spread open. The minute I felt myself slipping, falling in love, I thought: oh, shit. There’s more. Because loving is the damn truth. Loving him reminded me that I did, in fact, love myself.
Love is beyond dual coverage and picking up takeout because you’re hungry and being an emergency contact and meeting family and Thanksgiving. Love is finding new ways to love ourselves because there’s another human involved. They become our mirror; our reminder that we get what we give. Loving is, at its root, selfless. But, the act of it says so much about what we’re capable of offering. We offer what we need, what we desire. For the first time, we realize our hearts are available for big moments, big affirmations. And realize we deserve all of them. That is self-love.
Love is showing someone else why you care about them because you care about yourself. Love is self-love flipped on its head, the equal give and take of human-defining togetherness. It is beyond what we ever imagined and above what either of us originally believed.
"Love is effortless because it helps define who we are. It’s as beautiful and simple as that."
SELF-LOVE WHEN YOU'RE FALLING IN LOVE
February 12, 2021 • brittany chaffee, falling in love, guest blogger, guest post, lifestyle blog, minneapolis blogger, minnesota blogger, mostly lisa, self-love, valentine's day
Today's guest post comes from someone I greatly admire and am inspired by here in the Twin Cities. Brittany Chaffee uses words in such a beautiful, romantic and poetic way that I figured she'd be the perfect person to create a story for what self-love means and how love can come into your life when you least expect it. Please read on and enjoy her melodic musings on romance.
typography by cannedsorbet
We envision love, in the beginning, to be a striking and complicated muscle. But when we fall in love, the movement feels a lot like slipping. The looseness, expansive. Right before I found my now husband, when I was angry and twenty-three years old and tired of dating bad men, my mom told me: “Brittany, love is effortless. You’ll be surprised by it.”
But something else happens when we fall in love. When we come to know people; slip under the looseness of their open hearts, we come to know them as intimately as ourselves. That part is scary. It takes vulnerability. Because, in turn, we have to reach deeper into the pockets of ourselves. If the love is right, we wade deeper into self.
My favorite line in the entire book, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, is this:
“We don’t need other people’s love in order to love ourselves; we don’t need a romantic partner to be ‘complete.’ But we need other people to teach us how to love ourselves best.”
A month before I fell in love with my husband, I finally found peace with being alone. I thought: you are beautiful and twenty-four. Your world has only recently spread open. The minute I felt myself slipping, falling in love, I thought: oh, shit. There’s more. Because loving is the damn truth. Loving him reminded me that I did, in fact, love myself.
Love is beyond dual coverage and picking up takeout because you’re hungry and being an emergency contact and meeting family and Thanksgiving. Love is finding new ways to love ourselves because there’s another human involved. They become our mirror; our reminder that we get what we give. Loving is, at its root, selfless. But, the act of it says so much about what we’re capable of offering. We offer what we need, what we desire. For the first time, we realize our hearts are available for big moments, big affirmations. And realize we deserve all of them. That is self-love.
Love is showing someone else why you care about them because you care about yourself. Love is self-love flipped on its head, the equal give and take of human-defining togetherness. It is beyond what we ever imagined and above what either of us originally believed.
"Love is effortless because it helps define who we are. It’s as beautiful and simple as that."
Because who doesn't buy Valentine's Day gifts until the last minute? At this point, I don't really know any other adult who doesn't procrastinate at finding something that their significant other, themselves or even a furry friend will truly love. I am ahead of the game this year as I will be buying something for myself AND something for my very first Valentine! 😍 That being said, I figured I would put together a few items that will be easy to pick up if you're really waiting until the last minute. Enjoy!
A heart-shaped vase that can stand perfectly on its own or be filled with your favorite flowers to create a stunningly sweet home decor piece!
SOME *VERY* LAST MINUTE VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT IDEAS
February 10, 2021 • budget gifts, gift guide, gifts for her, gifts for him, mostly lisa, mostly lisa gift guide, romantic inspiration, valentine's day, valentines gift guide
Because who doesn't buy Valentine's Day gifts until the last minute? At this point, I don't really know any other adult who doesn't procrastinate at finding something that their significant other, themselves or even a furry friend will truly love. I am ahead of the game this year as I will be buying something for myself AND something for my very first Valentine! 😍 That being said, I figured I would put together a few items that will be easy to pick up if you're really waiting until the last minute. Enjoy!
A heart-shaped vase that can stand perfectly on its own or be filled with your favorite flowers to create a stunningly sweet home decor piece!
Pardon me but I'm just going to appreciate that when forming an idea for what this post would be about, I immediately thought of 'The Californians' from SNL. Mostly because of the fact that they clearly live in a 'Spanish style mini mansion' to which my thoughts led me into watching every skit, playing some GTA V, and finally turned into growing to appreciate the actual architecture of what these Spanish-style homes are. Holy crap are they beautiful AND expensive?! These houses are definitely more apt to be found in warmer climates - CA, AZ, FL, TX, etc. - and they make me insanely jealous as I'm sitting here in MN trying to stay warm when it's -14 degrees outside.
A Spanish-style dream home offer a more natural, yet sophisticated look reminiscent of early Colonial dwellings built by the first Spanish settlers. The official term is called Spanish Colonial Revival and also influences heavily from Mediterranean architecture. Think stuccoed walls, bright and vibrant solid colors, red tile roofs and gorgeous tile work. To commit to this type of house, you definitely have to start on the exterior and work it into every other aspect of inside the home. This can be done subtly, but of course it's more fun doing it as bold as possible. Hello Spanish tiles that I would line in every nook and crevice! I highly recommend checking out the HGTV link above for more background on this style and maybe you'll fall in love with it as I have. If you do, feel free to take a look at these dreamy homes for some captivating inspiration.
A SPANISH-STYLE DREAM HOME
February 8, 2021 • architecture, home decor, home décor, interior inspiration, minneapolis blogger, minnesota blogger, mostly lisa, twin cities blogger
Pardon me but I'm just going to appreciate that when forming an idea for what this post would be about, I immediately thought of 'The Californians' from SNL. Mostly because of the fact that they clearly live in a 'Spanish style mini mansion' to which my thoughts led me into watching every skit, playing some GTA V, and finally turned into growing to appreciate the actual architecture of what these Spanish-style homes are. Holy crap are they beautiful AND expensive?! These houses are definitely more apt to be found in warmer climates - CA, AZ, FL, TX, etc. - and they make me insanely jealous as I'm sitting here in MN trying to stay warm when it's -14 degrees outside.
A Spanish-style dream home offer a more natural, yet sophisticated look reminiscent of early Colonial dwellings built by the first Spanish settlers. The official term is called Spanish Colonial Revival and also influences heavily from Mediterranean architecture. Think stuccoed walls, bright and vibrant solid colors, red tile roofs and gorgeous tile work. To commit to this type of house, you definitely have to start on the exterior and work it into every other aspect of inside the home. This can be done subtly, but of course it's more fun doing it as bold as possible. Hello Spanish tiles that I would line in every nook and crevice! I highly recommend checking out the HGTV link above for more background on this style and maybe you'll fall in love with it as I have. If you do, feel free to take a look at these dreamy homes for some captivating inspiration.
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