It’s always sunny, if you look in the right places. The Garfield Park Conservatory always makes me happy. It’s like a miracle (not so) secret gem. I think the day I went, the entire population of Chicago was there. We, Chicagoans, have to deal with a lot of cold so going somewhere right in the city to escape the cold for a few hours is a simple and enjoyable pleasure. A few posts ago, I wrote about how flowers instantly boost my mood, so the conservatory is obviously an automatic mood booster as well.

Lately, I’ve been really searching for more inner happiness and mindfulness. This isn’t something new I’m doing, but I’m just enhancing this for myself. I’m truly doing things that really make me happy and calm. It’s hard not to get caught up in outside noises, but I’ve noticed that the more self-care I do, the outside noises disappear. I want to stay in this mode because it makes me feel good about myself. This isn’t selfishness, but sometimes you just have to go on your own path even if nobody else is on that path. It can feel lonely at times, but knowing I have support from the people I love, makes the process better. One main thing I’ve been trying to do is to slow down. I always feel like I am on the go, but slowing down and stopping to smell the flowers has helped me a lot. Reading and listening to motivational podcasts and having great conversations with family and friends have also been wonderful for my soul and overall, just being grateful for this life I have. HAMR not only is my style journey, but my personal journey. It’s hard to open up to the Internet world about how I’m feeling sometimes, but I’m finding this therapeutic right now. If you’re reading this, I hope that I’m making sense and that you too can look in the right places for some sun!

💋,

Peggy

Photography: Samantha Kramer
Location: Garfield Park Conservatory

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