In Spring 2018, with conviction and pride, I shared the perfect mantra, slogan, and hashtag (a sign of the times) for my retail store. It was Experience Your Everyday – a mini-manifesto for Port of Raleigh’s reason for being. I believed then, as I do now, that the objects in our lives create both tangible and psychological value that add up to our overall quality of life, especially within our homes.
It was a counter to the “spend money on experiences, not things” conversation that was dominant at the time. I found it pointless to make them mutually exclusive since we literally use things in order to do things. I revered the fact that ordinary things help us experience big and little joys like cooking (pots, pans, utensils), traveling (luggage, backpacks, cameras), and nesting in our homes (beds, sofas, blankets). It put a spotlight on the things we choose for function, beauty, joy, or better yet, all three.
In 2020, as we stayed home, everything we ever chose to bring into our lives became (or always was) a superstar supporter or a point of discontent and frustration. In an instant we were challenged to confirm or discover just how much our lives were being well-supported by our things...and then some.
Last year forced us to look beyond the distractions we occupy ourselves with in the outside world (digital included). We went inward to ask "what’s serving me, what’s within my control? How can I show up for myself, my loved ones, my community? How do I want to live, thrive, and contribute?".
It became crystal clear to me that Port of Raleigh’s mantra, Experience Your Everyday, encompasses so much more than placing value on the everyday things we choose to live with – the value is actually in our everyday existence, with every touch point. From the things we experience through our five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing) to how we process experiences depending on the state of our mind, heart, body, and soul...it's all so connected. Just as we are.
This is where it shifts to Experience Our Everyday.
Because our overall quality of life on this planet together is made up of micro-experiences within ...
Our daily spaces
Our daily things
Our daily thoughts
Our daily actions
Our daily habits
Our daily interactions
Our daily intentions
Our daily dreams
Our daily state of being
Day after day, month after month, year after year. Every thing, every thought, every place, and every one in our lives creates tangible and psychological value that adds up to our individual and collective experiences.
Simple to say but not always simple and easy to practice. The goal now becomes to create as many positive micro-experiences as possible, through our things, thoughts, and places, for the betterment of ourselves, our loved ones, and our local and global communities.
This is my new (now personal) mini-manifesto and I’m so happy to share it with you.
