I'm a big believer in celebrating everything, big or small. Sometimes it's obvious, like planning a weekend away to celebrate an anniversary or birthday with my husband. Sometimes it's as simple as buying myself a $50 bottle of wine to celebrate making it through a "wildly productive and living the dream" week (...like I did last Friday), or scheduling a massage for yourself after a long weekend of yardwork. This fell somewhere in between.
I follow Marble & Milkweed on Instagram, and am totally entranced by Briar. I think it's because I'm becoming more and more interested in plants: growing them, eating and drinking them, and being healed by them. It all feels cyclical and honest and connected and just the right amount of magical. She's made a beautiful business (and life, really!) out of that. Her Autumn Getaway Kit seemed like the perfect way to try out a few of her products, and reward myself for making it through the first three quarters of what has turned out to be a very volatile year (in the best way!, but still).
The nourishing body oil and solid perfume (IN AN ACORN CAP) smell like some sweeter-yet-spicier version of one of my all-time favorite scents. I still haven't tried the chai, but I love that she offers different, "modern" translations of it from time to time. I think I'll try a tea sampler next. Spicy masala chais are my favorite tea. Plus, I've been wanting to make my own tea blends for some time now – so I think it's half about actually enjoying the teas, and half about being inspired by their differences, and getting my gears turning around that.
...which is, in the end, what celebration and reward are all about for me. Anyone who has spent a birthday or New Year's with me knows I'm all about capturing the highs and lows of the last year, and then setting an intention for the next (whether it be conceptual or very, very literal). Sometimes "celebrating" is as simple as saying out loud, "I did this rad thing / I made it through this hard time / We did it our way" and really hearing yourself. Acknowledging what you've learned and what you accomplished, and letting it guide you (without weighing you down) to where you want to go. Just don't forget to treat yo self once in awhile.
