Living a Beautiful Life
By Alexandra Stoddard
As I attempt to fulfill my new year’s resolutions, I’ve
discovered this book that goes beyond a resolution check list and reminds that
living a beautiful life is in the daily details. Alexandra Stoddard suggests simple ways to easily
and inexpensively enhance your quality of life.
The foreword points out that many people save up to 95
percent of their money and effort to spend on 5 percent of their lives during
special occasions. Instead consider that
a beautiful life is making the daily 95 percent of your life wonderful. This can easily be done in so many small ways,
if we just make a conscious effort.
Beauty encourages us; it gives us the joy and energy to care more and
not to settle for less. The key is that
the beautiful details that you design bring meaning and joy especially for you.
I’m surprised at how little it takes to bring a moment of
joy, and how many moments of joy can make up a day. Beyond reducing clutter that surrounds you
and causes stress, this book gives specific examples of easy ways of creating
something special out of the ordinary. You
don’t have to be an artist to include artistic touches in your life. This book spans the areas and time we spend most
of our lives: the kitchen, the bedroom, and the bath. The author also has suggestions about
creating a beautiful life with others - family and friends. Not all the suggestions will speak to you,
but many will. Some of the specifics are
outdated; this book’s first edition was in 1986. It’s surprising how most of the suggestions
are timeless though, and the book is filled with so many creative thoughts that
it will get you thinking of your own new ideas, that will appeal to you. There is even space after each chapter for
your own notes.
Alexandra Stoddard is a philosopher, author, and interior
designer. She is the author of many
books with a similar supportive and encouraging tone offering practical advice,
and everyday philosophies on enhancing life.
Alexandra Stoddard’s unique insights reveal the small but
significant things that we can do to change our attitude, heart and environment
for the better. Her books contain a
positive personal philosophy of ways to live a beautiful and happy life, laced
with grace and wit. She also writes about ritualizing parts of every day,
raising public awareness to the importance of little celebrations and
ceremonies at home. Her goal is to elevate our daily lives into an art form: we
can all live beautifully, moment to moment.
Thereby hangs a tale . . . .
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