Wit & Delight has been quiet for the past year or so, but I’ve been writing more than ever. The slowdown in publishing has heightened my curiosity about the way we live and why. I’m fascinated by what lies beneath the surface of aesthetics.How to decorate your spacethe people we have accepted, and Who to lock out?Most importantly, we have rediscovered what it means to enjoy our own way of life.
The act of writing about these experiences has been transformative for me. It’s created a conversation with my readers that I never would have had with short-form, visual-based content, and that’s what I love most about Substack.
I continue to share lifestyle content and the occasional personal essay on Wit & Delight, but every week Home visitsour Substack newsletter, where we explore why our homes, and the lives we live in them, matter so much. For new readers and longtime readers who haven’t yet read House Call, we highly recommend perusing this collection of work.
Below is an exclusive excerpt from a recent House Call essay.Prefers a quiet home lifeChoosing a quieter life in the face of an increasingly noisy world felt like a career-ending move for my lifestyle brand, but it was something I desperately needed for myself. I wrote about creating empty space, enjoying simple pleasures, and appreciating quiet moments at home. I hope you enjoyed this essay and join me on Substack.
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Excerpt from a House Call: For a Quiet Home Life
Amid the repetitive rhythm of daily life, one of my favorite pastimes is daydreaming. Since childhood, I have wandered freely into fantasy worlds. What begins as a subconscious desire to soothe myself has proven, at its best, to be fertile soil for a rich inner life. The mundane becomes magical and the ordinary becomes extraordinary. My fantasies turn into lucid dreams, and sometimes these images are so vivid that reality pales in comparison.
When I earned the nickname “Spacy Katie” for the way my mind wandered while studying, at dance class, and at softball games, I learned that my tendency to distance myself from the present moment didn’t really help me thrive in social situations. Like most introverts, I thought of my natural state as “inferior,” something I had to “fix” to succeed in the world.
But recently, I found myself making room for introversion. This winter, there was a deafening quiet in every aspect of my life, a magical darkness that seemed purposefully created. It was as if I was creating space to return to this part of myself. My usual escapes were absent. My creativity was stifled, my schedule was minimal, and indulging in booze or food only made me feel worse. My intuition was telling me to embrace the silence and just be with the emptiness. I quickly realized that this emptiness was life-giving.
How joy and family life intersect
As I slowly opened myself up to the calling of introversion, I reflected again and again on how joy and a quiet home life intersected, a place where I learned to accept things as they were and gave my moodiness time to recover. more more more.
These little tasks, the simple overlooked and undervalued pleasures (like sitting in a chair in the sunshine with some hot toast and tea) lifted my mood and sense of happiness at home more than tackling project after project. I began to wonder, how can I ever enjoy my home if I don’t know how to find joy in just being there? All those paint colors, wallpapers and patterns can’t translate into that inner feeling of being in yourself through the joy of just being at home.
This joy I’ve been searching for since 2009 never unfolded through self-help or cookie-cutter magazine advice on how to decorate your home. In fact, I don’t think there’s any manual. Designing a fulfilling life requires the courage to let go of the personas, masks, and armor we’ve accumulated. Perhaps letting go of what isn’t ours and letting what wasn’t born for us die is the only way to design a life that feels like home. Unfortunately, this process is more like a walk through Death Valley than a path filled with candy-colored daisies.
I began to wonder, how can I ever enjoy my home if I don’t know how to find joy just by being there? All the paint colors, wallpapers, and patterns aren’t going to translate into that inner feeling of just being at home and feeling joyful and immersed in myself.
This week on House Call, we want to talk about the power of home beyond appearances. The inspiration for this post came from spending years renovating my own home, but not always being satisfied with the spaces I created. I asked myself what it is about my home that brings me the most satisfaction and joy, and the answer surprised me.
What a quiet home life means to me
A space that remains constant.
It’s important to have areas of your home that you’re not actively renovating – rooms that you simply rent out. Become familiarIt’s a habit that brings me comfort and a sense of peace. These spaces, which include my bedroom, kitchen, and office, have evolved to reflect my changing needs and preferences. Though I make adjustments from time to time, I’ve intentionally refrained from making major changes to these rooms unless I have a clear plan. need As for updates…
These spaces have become more than just rooms in my house. They have become extensions of myself, reflecting my personality, values, and aspirations. Leaving them as they are allows me to embrace the beauty and comfort of the present moment without constantly striving for change.
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Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning tennis and will forever be Testing the limits of her creativity. Follow her on Instagram Follow.
Source: – witanddelight.com
