The word romance has always stirred rebellion in my heart. So much so, I penned an impassioned essay around the etymology of it in college. If there is one gem of knowledge I could magically instill into your mind right now about the seven little letters, it’s this: romance is a lifestyle.
It’s not roses from the florist and candlelit dinners. It’s not diamond rings from Tiffany’s (unless we’re talking Sweet Home Alabama style, because well-played, politician Andrew). It’s not dinner at a fancy restaurant. It’s not a $2,500 designer handbag gift…and it’s not reserved for relationships alone.
It’s planting an evergreen tree in the mountains and visiting it every year as your family grows, observing it bravely inch closer to the stars every passing winter. It’s a dramatic emerald surrounded by imperfect diamonds sourced from antique English tiaras circa 1800s, because your heart is regal. It’s skipping the restaurant and making one of your grandmothers recipes as a celebration of tradition. It’s ditching travel guides and exploring the backroads of Europe by car, feeling your pulse quicken at every cliffside turn.
Romance is a way of living. It’s a choice to be “extra” from your morning skincare routine to lavender oil you diffuse into the bedroom air because its aroma transports you to lavender fields in Provence. It’s intentional. It’s selective. It’s a fierce abandonment of the standardized meaning of romance we’re told to expect. It’s a self-created lifestyle based on exploring every moment slowly, deeply and intentionally.
This year on KG.com is all about that celebrating the art of romance. Living life cinematically and awe-inspiring is within everyone’s reach, and I’ll show you how. Here are 21 small but grand ways to make your life more romantic in 2019.
- Ensure the rooms you spend the most time in always have fresh blooms. Less than $10 a week from Trader Joes. No excuses.
- Celebrate your body and its abilities. Sweat in a way that serves your body and mind.
- Wear silk dresses as often as possible.
- Learn how to flirt (heavily) in a new language.
- Give priority to your art, and if you don’t have one…find one immediately. Whether cooking or gardening, we are all artists meant to give away a gift.
- Wear lingerie (for you) – complete lingerie guide hitting KG.com on Valentine’s Day.
- Find a signature shade of lipstick that makes you feel Hollywood. Don’t leave the house without it on your lips.
- Invest in french skincare, because it’s the best.
- Incorporate regular social media detoxes in your life, even if your career is based on it (raises hand).
- Always say “yes” and never “yeah” or any other variation of agreement – you just made yourself a touch more old worldly.
- If don’t have elaborate spa time on Sundays (whether a DIY routine or the favorite spot in your city), start it this weekend.
- Eat croissants…but only if you also marvel at the hundreds of layers of labor, love and art that went into creating them. Make eating an art, never a rushed process or emotional response.
- Throw away everything in your closet that doesn’t make you feel like Amal Clooney walking into a courtroom..
- Learn the key differences between red wine, and endeavor to one day to identify the wine’s origin based on taste.
- Never make New Year resolutions without making plans to travel somewhere new.
- Write and send thank you cards. Religiously.
- Laughter is the best medicine; become addicted to the sound and time spent with those who make you positively ache from it.
- Don’t go to bed without thinking of 10 ways the day was a miracle.
- Celebrate every single occasion and holiday grandly…and certainly overdress for it.
- Incorporate renting vintage convertibles into every vacation.
- Don’t forget the classics when picking a film on movie night.
- BONUS: Stay atop world politics (not just those of your own country) and have strong opinions, but express them with action over contributing to divisive chatter. Make the changes you wish to see in the world through action, philanthropy and volunteer opportunities abroad.
