THAT'S MOTTE!

Sinatra’s rendition of That’s Life might just be the best song of all times. It’s simple, it’s catchy. It’s a parody and harsh reality at once. It’s an attempt at encouragement. It’s comforting and terrifying and a big pain in the bum. And it is my new philosophy.

Time and time again we are reminded that our lives are not picture perfect. Most of us do not, nor ever will own a Hollywood mansion where personal trainers, chefs and florists await; where pet unicorns sing lullabies and it rains gumdrops and roses (To those lucky few: Cheers!);

and that in fact, none of us will ever get to marry Ryan Gosling, regardless of what Pinterest is trying to make us believe (I predict there will be that one exception and we can battle it out later. I hear he is into bake-offs and I am pretty good at them, so brace yourselves!).

And yet, while rummaging through delightful pinspiration or going about our daily lives, we simply tend to forget.

But Sinatra never forgets!

Feeling blue? Guess what, that’s life!

Smudged your freshly painted nails? That’s life! Missed the last train and had to walk home? Didn’t get the job or locked yourself out of your apartment? The doctor gave his last stickers to the kid before you? That too, is life.

The sun will always come out tomorrow, there is another summer after every winter and June will always come after May. Things will always turn around. I like to believe that life is a roller coaster with ups and downs and that typically, each down gives the next up that extra push.

And let’s face it, roller coasters are exciting. Nauseating at times, but immensely fun. And I would like my personal roller coaster to be the ultimate fun fair attraction...

To me, Sinatra’s song is a “happy song”. I light up as soon as I hear those first chords. It gets me into that It’s ok, I can do it and if it doesn’t work out, so be it mood. Life all of a sudden becomes a cotton candy fluff, light as a feather and sweet to the taste (pink vanilla flavoring please!).

And trust me, over the past few months I have felt the urge to sing along to That’s life more often than I could possibly remember.

Having recently finished my studies and slowly leaving my glossy childhood bubble behind, I have reached that point where I want to “build a life” for myself.

Growing up can be difficult at times, trying to figure out what I want, what I expect. From myself and from others. From my career, my home, my relationships. And I like to work hard for that. But often, I expect too much of myself at a much too quick pace, like running on a treadmill at a speed of 12 when the darn thing only goes to a 10. And that often leaves me overwhelmed and I forget about the things that I truly enjoy.

(Come to think of it, I believe I have been trying to run ahead of the treadmill since the age of 2. Where does a 2-year-old get such a stress-laden drive from?)

But then I remember this fine world keeps spinning around!

-and I adjust my speed. (Because frankly, I don’t fancy the idea of face planting onto a running treadmill.)

Sinatra (you wise old man you!) has taught me to make a life for myself in a pace that I feel comfortable with. A quick jog, but nothing too exhausting.

I want my life to be an adventure, carefree and fun. I want to create the lifestyle I desire filled with beauty and joy.

I enjoy crafts and food and taking photos, being silly, theatre and Art, and all things homey and I want to enjoy more of that. I want to be adventurous, courageous and ambitious. Be creative and smart. I want to be inspired and share my inspiration with you.

And should that not work out, we can always roll up in a big ball and ---well, you know how it goes.

What you can expect from my blog is a documentation of everything I love, of everything I wish to share with you on my journey to creating the life that brings out the best in me and hopefully makes you smile, too. That’s MOTTE!

I’m curious, what is the soundtrack to your life? When was the last time you heard Sinatra whisper into your ear?