In Defense of the Whimsical

Whimsy.

It’s such a fun word, isn’t it? Associated with children, Alice in Wonderland, animal-shaped objects, and anything similarly delightful. Whimsy has no purpose, no end goal. It is life’s decoration, like the whipped cream on top of a frappuccino: it may not be necessary (does any frap really need more sugar?), but it tastes good. It brings us joy.

Perhaps because it is unnecessary, it is often dismissed as child-like. Suitable for anyone who is actually a child, but rather unseemly for everyone else. Making room for whimsy in your life can invite criticism that you're overly indulgent, or eccentric, or in denial. There is no room, people say, for jabberwockies and puddle-jumping when there are emails to answer and bills to pay.

I beg to differ.

When was the last time you took a bubble bath? A proper one, with lots of hot water and bubbles? You receive extra points if there was a rubber ducky involved, though I realize that’s a high bar. (Although really, why? Why don’t we all have rubber duckies? Is there a law that says only children can enjoy them?) I’m guessing that it was a while ago, because showers are considered de rigeur for adults. Because bubble baths are extra, unnecessary, silly.

Well, they also get you clean and use about as much water as a fifteen-minute shower, and they relax sore muscles. And they’re delightful. Dare I say, they’re even whimsical. So in the name of adding more whimsy to your life, I have a few questions for you.

Do you have access to a bathtub?
Do you have shampoo or body wash?
Do you have half an hour?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, I have a proposition for you. Rather than reading to the end of this post to find out exactly why whimsy is something we should all be adding to our lives, go over to your bathtub. Fill it up with hot water, and while the water is running, add whatever soap you have on hand. Wait until it’s nice and bubbly. Then get in the bath and give yourself some time to enjoy it, whether that be with a book, a glass of wine, a rubber ducky, or nothing at all if you’re a bath purist. By the time you get out of the bath, I can bet that you will see my point.

For those of you who do not have access to a bathtub (my condolences), allow me to continue. I have always been a proponent of bringing whimsical things into daily life, because I find that it makes everyday tasks more enjoyable. The bubble bath is an easy example, because we all need to wash ourselves on a regular basis (unless you are Bigfoot, and living in the wilderness).

Well, taking a bubble bath may not be the fastest way to get clean, but it is certainly more enjoyable than a quick shower. It makes you slow down and appreciate the sensory details of the experience: the temperature of the water, the smell of the soap, the texture of the bubbles. This experience can help you relax and let go of some of the things that were plaguing you before. It may take a bit more time than a shower, but the benefits you receive from spending that time are well worth it. It’s a small but visceral way to improve your life, and it still accomplishes something that you would have needed to do anyways: get clean.

Most whimsical things fall into the same category as bubble baths — they fit into your everyday life, and make things just a little bit better. Like making sure to step on particularly crunchy-looking leaves in the fall, or jumping over puddles when it rains. You need to walk places anyways, why not make it fun? Or maybe you drink tea every day, so what if you found a teacup that you particularly liked and started using it, rather than just using the same interchangeable mugs from Ikea?

An example of some whimsy that I recently brought into my life is a set of mesh laundry bags, which I needed for delicate laundry items. Usually, when I’m sorting my laundry, it’s a hassle to figure out which items will need to go into mesh bags so that they’re protected in the washing machine. But now I have three pastel-colored bags in the shape of a cat, a bear, and an elephant, and I genuinely enjoy using them. They weren’t any more expensive than other bags that I could have bought, and they accomplish the same thing. But they also make me happy.

There are similar opportunities for whimsy in everyone’s lives, as long as people are willing to look for them. The trick, I think, is giving yourself permission to create space for whimsical things and experiences. After all, an appreciation for the whimsical does not mean that you are childish or unintelligent or eccentric. It's a form of self-care. It means that you are aware of the world around you, and taking the extra moment to actively appreciate it. It means using your senses, your imagination, and your appreciation of beauty to see the world in a more flattering light. And goodness knows that we already deal with enough unflattering things in life — politics, commutes, health care, unread emails, bills. Isn’t it high time that we found a way to counter-balance all of that?

Because personally, I don’t think that happiness should be an afterthought. Pleasure and delight should not be dismissed. And whimsy, while it may not be necessary for an adult life, certainly has the potential to improve it.

So why not?

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A Few Whimsical Things For Your Reading Pleasure:
Alice in Wonderland by Louis Carroll
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairy Land in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente
“Foolishness? No, It’s Not” by Mary Oliver

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A Note From the Writer: I’ve been lucky enough to receive an enthusiastic welcome from the Steemit community, which I’ve noticed comes with a lot of comments! This warms my fuzzy little heart, because it’s always been my dream to have people read and engage with my work. The idea that something I’ve written could start a discussion is absolutely amazing and humbling. Thank you so much for your support, encouragement, and thoughtful responses on previous posts. You've all been so lovely, that I’d like to make a suggestion on this post. If you have any whimsical actions, items, stories, poems, pictures, etc. that you enjoy, would you share them with us? Creating our own treasure trove of whimsy could be kinda fun, don’t you think?

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Curious about the photos? I took them on a combination of iphones and my Nikon 5100. Since they are my own work, all the usual copyright rigamarole applies. If you’re curious about the subjects, I’ve listed them from the top of the post: cherry blossoms in Kyoto, a Jizo statue on the island of Miyajima, a hand-painted mandala on the Sunshine Coast in Canada, and an arch from Powerscourt Gardens in Ireland.