One of my secrets to cultivating a "whimsical energy" is playing games everywhere I go.
If you pass by hopscotch on the sidewalk, hop every single one. If you see a falling leaf, try to run and catch it. How many people can I get to wave at me today? I bet a dozen. How many trees can I hear creak today? I bet 3.
Also bird watching is a great game. As is "collecting" colors. Basically, like @MOSSYELFIE said, look at everything, find the wonder in it.
I've also started keeping a notebook of sensations. Most of them are delightfulāthe sight of the water after cresting the hill on a long hot walk through the crowds in the sun; the feeling of the subway seat after carrying 30 pounds of laundry across town because you couldn't drop laundry off on the way to the optometrist because the laundromat was closed; the image of Laundromat George taking his day off, smoking cigs in his backyard. Some of them are awfulāthe feeling of sand stuck in your sock & constantly rubbing while you can't take it off, how the shadows in the kitchen make you sad because your spouse isn't there to notice them with you, the feeling of lovely weather that is totally in contradiction with your rotten mood. Noticing is a game.
May 30, 2025
Related Recs
šæ
If you can do this, every day is filled with moments that fill you with joy and wonder. This already happened to me like eight times today, starting with my perfect smoothie (other moments included seeing a squirrel, walking past these cool flowers that look like fried eggs, and smelling the new perfume samples I ordered). Itās pretty easy, just go stand outside and look at something beautiful. There are gorgeous things everywhere. If youāre having trouble connecting with this, which I do sometimes because Iām not a lobotomized freak and also because life can truly beat you down, just take like 1-2 grams of mushrooms like two hours before sunset and then go on a super long walk with great music in your headphones and I promise youāll remember how fucking cool it is just to get to be alive.
Oct 20, 2023
š±
I feel like paying more attention to the tiny mundane things in life that bring you some joy can make a big difference in reining in some of the negative thoughts and feelings. easier said than done but ascribing more weight and meaning to even the tiniest things makes me feel generally happier and more focused on the present. like going for a walk and being in nature even for a few mins, seeing a cat in someoneās window, making yourself a hot chocolate in your favorite mug when itās cold outside
Mar 4, 2025
š»
either going on a hike or just exploring and taking my time somewhere in nature. It helps me to get some perspective and reset. I prefer somewhere with a creek, I like looking at different rocks trying to find ones that have cool shapes/textures/colors. look for national/state forests or wildlife refuges near you!
for creative ruts, iāll do an excercise sometimes where I look for weird shadows or leaves or anything really and try and turn those shapes into characters or just see how my brain reinterprets them. itās a nice low stakes creative game
Jun 13, 2024
Top Recs from @florinegrassenhopper
ā°
No screen Sundays. If I want to listen to music its CDs or radio. If I want to watch a movie, no I donāt. If I want to see a friend, I will make plans with them on Friday or Saturday to meet up. As a result, I read more, write more, and sit with questions like ādid Citizen Kaneās 50 year winning streak in the Sight and Sound critics choice survey end in 2012 or 2022? When did Stephen Merritt come out? Whats the etymology of Whitsun?ā
This is something that I have practiced off and on for many years but Iāve been doing it every week since December and I love the way that it just allows me one day of true freedom and rest.
Jan 22, 2025
Mar 3, 2025
My calendar this year has 52 of these week at a glance pages but I donāt think that way. So, I've been inspired by Ross Gayās Book of Delighs to start recording the little moments and sensations that bring me joy throughout the day. An analog pi.fyi, if you will.
heres some of what I have so far:
- Waking up to the sound of my upstairs neighborās footstep. It sounded nostalgic. Felt like company.
- Strawberry jam
- feeling tender for strangers: their lips, nail colors, their small wrists. Thinking of all the lives we hold gently.
- A young girl bought an LP at the bookstore just before I left. She stroked its cover with love
- Green tiles āthe mint shade always makes me think of Jancie
- Charlieās little bop and punch dancing to some German language punk
- lunch with Katherine, curry Brussels sprouts
- small talk at the photo studio. The photographer's brother was named after their dad, stole his identity, bought jet skis.
Jan 13, 2025