October 12, 2026 | October Journaling Challenge

Greetings my lovelies,

Today’s Prompt: What Does Romanticizing Your Life Mean to You?

Forget staged perfection. How can you make your actual, ordinary life feel more intentional, interesting, beautiful, or fun?

There seems to be this idea floating around social media that romanticizing your life requires a perfectly decorated home, expensive coffee, beautiful clothes, fresh flowers on every table, and a morning routine that looks like it belongs in a lifestyle magazine. Apparently, we’re all supposed to wake up looking refreshed, light a candle, write in a journal, and gaze thoughtfully out the window while contemplating the beauty of existence.

Meanwhile, some of us have dishes to wash, laundry to finish, animals to care for, and absolutely no desire to perform an interpretive dance about gratitude before breakfast.

I love beautiful things. I enjoy a welcoming home, meaningful little treasures, nature, and those moments when ordinary life feels especially lovely. But I’ve never believed happiness should require an audience, and I’m certainly not interested in turning my entire existence into a carefully staged social media production.

For me, romanticizing life is becoming less about how things look and more about how I actually spend my time.

And today turned out to be a pretty good example.

Sometimes You Just Need a Monday to Yourself

Today, I called in to work and took a mental health day.

No elaborate plans, no exciting destination, and no itinerary packed with activities designed to make me feel like I was accomplishing something spectacular. I simply wanted a day away from work and the usual demands that come with it.

I still took care of things around the house. I cleaned the ferrets’ room, made the bed, washed the dishes, and put a load of laundry in the dryer. Not exactly the stuff of romantic novels, unless somebody is writing a particularly thrilling story about household appliances.

I also cleaned my altar.

With Samhain approaching, I’ve been thinking more about my spirituality, the traditions I’m drawn to, and the ways I want to incorporate those interests into my everyday life. My altar is one of those personal spaces that deserves attention, not because it needs to impress anybody, but because it means something to me.

There is satisfaction in looking around your home and knowing you’ve taken care of things. The bed is made, the dishes are done, the animals have a clean space, and the laundry is one step closer to being finished.

Although, let’s not get carried away. Laundry has an uncanny ability to reproduce when nobody is looking.

The difference today was that I could do these things on my own time, without trying to squeeze everything between work responsibilities.

And I still had plenty of time to enjoy myself.

A Little Disney Magic and Some Questionable Urban Planning

One of the things I’ve been enjoying lately is Disney Dreamlight Valley.

I have all the downloadable expansions, which means I have an enormous amount of territory to decorate, characters to organize, and buildings to relocate. Unfortunately, my Valley has been something of a disaster.

Not a charming, whimsical disaster, either.

More like somebody handed a bunch of Disney characters moving boxes, told them to pick a spot, and never bothered to develop a zoning ordinance.

I’ve decided I want themed villages, places that feel intentional rather than a random collection of houses and attractions scattered across the landscape. So I’ve been working on the Glade of Trust, rearranging buildings, figuring out landscaping, and trying to create something that actually looks like it belongs together.

ChatGPT has been helping me figure out where everything should go.

And yes, I have opinions about where imaginary buildings belong. Strong opinions, apparently.

There is something wonderfully entertaining about spending part of your afternoon decorating a magical world where Disney characters are your neighbors. No pressure, no real-world consequences, and if something doesn’t look right, you can move it.

If only reorganizing an actual house were that simple.

Meanwhile, WitchTok Has Completely Lost Its Mind

Now we arrive at one of the more entertaining parts of my day.

WitchTok.

For anyone unfamiliar with it, WitchTok is the corner of TikTok where people discuss witchcraft, spirituality, deities, rituals, folklore, and everything in between. There are some fascinating conversations happening there, and I genuinely enjoy learning about different practices and perspectives.

But lately?

Good grief. Somebody pass the popcorn.

First, there’s the controversy surrounding Blue Bodhi, who has been accused by customers of accepting payments for products they say they never received. People are posting what they describe as receipts and order histories, while she is denying the allegations and saying people are lying.

I actually had to unblock her to see what she was saying.

Yes, I had already blocked her. Apparently, even my block list occasionally needs to make room for investigative journalism.

Then there’s another woman claiming she’s collecting graveyard dirt from American soldiers’ graves to perform justice spells against sexual assaulters.

I have questions. So many questions.

Graveyard dirt has a place in certain folk-magic traditions, and I understand that different practitioners have different beliefs about spirit work, justice, and magical practices. But taking dirt from soldiers’ graves raises an entirely different set of questions about respect, permission, and intention.

And, of course, everybody has an opinion.

Which brings us to the ongoing debate about what supposedly qualifies someone to be a witch.

According to some people, you must follow particular practices, perform certain rituals, own specific tools, or adhere to somebody else’s interpretation of what witchcraft should look like. Then another group comes along insisting that none of those things are required.

Round and round they go.

Apparently, witchcraft now comes with an unofficial dress code, an equipment checklist, and a committee that determines whether your spiritual credentials are acceptable.

I must have missed the application deadline.

Personally, I enjoy my spiritual exploration without needing strangers on the internet to approve of it. I’m drawn to mythology, nature, animals, the elements, and the connections I feel between the world around me and my own beliefs.

I don’t need an elaborate aesthetic to validate any of that.

Although I certainly wouldn’t turn down the house from Practical Magic. Let’s not be ridiculous.

And then there are the discussions about Hekate.

People are debating who she really is, what she represents, and how she should be honored. Those conversations interest me because I’ve always loved Greek, Roman, and Celtic mythology, and I enjoy learning about the history behind different deities and spiritual traditions.

There is a genuine difference between studying historical beliefs and discussing modern personal experiences with a deity. Both can be interesting, but they aren’t necessarily interchangeable.

Unfortunately, nuance doesn’t always attract the same attention as an argument.

I didn’t participate in the fighting. I didn’t feel compelled to defend anybody or join a particular side.

I was entertained.

Sometimes that’s all social media needs to be.

From Witchcraft to Saguaros: My Interests Have Range

As if that weren’t enough variety for one day, I also found myself discussing saguaros, federal law, and tribal reservations.

Living in Arizona has given me a greater appreciation for the desert landscape. Saguaros are fascinating plants, towering over the surrounding vegetation with their distinctive arms and unmistakable silhouettes.

They’re also protected under Arizona’s native plant laws, which led to questions about what happens when they’re located on reservation land.

Suddenly, we were discussing tribal sovereignty, federal jurisdiction, and the differences between state and federal protections.

One minute I’m listening to people argue about who gets to call themselves a witch, and the next I’m trying to understand how laws apply to a giant cactus on tribal land.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have my curiosity any other way.

I enjoy learning things. Sometimes those things are historical, spiritual, or connected to nature. Other times they’re completely random subjects that catch my attention and send me down a rabbit hole.

And I don’t think every interest needs to become a project, a blog series, or another item on my to-do list.

Sometimes I just want to know something because it’s interesting.

Imagine that.

So, Was Today Romanticized?

If you had asked me years ago what romanticizing life meant, I might have imagined beautiful destinations, lovely surroundings, special occasions, and experiences outside the ordinary.

I still want those things.

I want to travel more, explore places I’ve never been, read books that capture my imagination, spend more time outdoors, and make memories with the people I love. I want to experience more of the world rather than allowing every week to become an identical collection of responsibilities.

My California trip reminded me how much I enjoy getting out and doing things. Seeing my sisters, visiting Disneyland, experiencing the ocean, and exploring unfamiliar places gave me memories I genuinely treasure.

But coming home reminded me of something else.

I love my life here, too.

I love Ronnie, our animals, our home, my morning coffee, and the routines that make our days familiar and comfortable. I don’t want to abandon those things in pursuit of some imaginary perfect existence.

I simply want to make more room for enjoyment, spontaneity, curiosity, and adventure alongside them.

Today wasn’t particularly glamorous. I didn’t travel anywhere exciting, purchase anything extravagant, or accomplish some monumental personal transformation.

I took care of my home. I spent time enjoying a video game. I explored my spiritual interests, learned a little about desert plant protections, and laughed at the latest nonsense unfolding on TikTok.

And I had a good day.

That’s what romanticizing my life means to me. Not pretending the ordinary doesn’t exist, but refusing to believe that ordinary has to mean boring.

It also means recognizing that I don’t have to earn every enjoyable moment by being productive first. Today I happened to get some things done, but a day spent reading, relaxing, or doing absolutely nothing would have been just as worthwhile.

At 56, I’m not interested in spending my days trying to meet somebody else’s expectations of what a beautiful life should look like.

I want a life that feels like mine.

Some days that will mean adventures, travel, new experiences, and stepping outside my comfort zone. Other days it will mean enjoying my home, laughing at something ridiculous, or spending an afternoon rearranging a pretend Disney village.

And occasionally, it will mean unblocking somebody on TikTok just to find out what the hell everybody is arguing about.

Because apparently, that’s entertainment now.

Today’s Journal Reflection

I think the biggest realization from today is that romanticizing my life doesn’t require me to change everything about it.

Some things are already wonderful. Other things need more attention, a little imagination, or an occasional shake-up.

I want to appreciate what I have without becoming so comfortable that I stop experiencing anything new. I want to enjoy my routines without becoming trapped by them, and I want to make time for things that bring me genuine pleasure, even when they serve absolutely no practical purpose.

There will still be workdays, housework, responsibilities, and moments when life is frustrating. I’m not expecting every day to feel magical.

But I can choose to make more room for the things that make me smile.

And if today’s combination of household chores, Disney characters, WitchTok drama, mythology, and Arizona cactus laws is any indication, I certainly don’t need to worry about running out of interesting subjects.

A beautiful life doesn’t have to be picture-perfect. It just has to be one I genuinely enjoy living.

Your Turn

What does romanticizing your life mean to you?

Does it involve slowing down and appreciating what you already have, making time for new adventures, or changing routines that no longer bring you happiness?

Think about the ordinary moments in your day. Which ones do you genuinely enjoy, and which ones could use a little more fun, beauty, or intention?

You might discover that creating a more enjoyable life doesn’t always require a dramatic change.

Sometimes it starts with giving yourself permission to enjoy an ordinary Monday.