Glamorize your life

There was a time in American history when we embraced glamor. Radio, film and television stars were real celebrities, bigger than life. People did their best to make every occasion special, a break from the ordinary.

Over time, celebrities became beach bums, strung out in rehab. Casual culture took over, and special occasions mean little more than a continuation of life.



It's about time we put glamor back into our lives.

Why should I glamorize my life?
Adding glamor to your life creates a sense of adventure. It provides greater enjoyment, and greater satisfaction.

It has been said that things anticipated are enjoyed more than thing unanticipated. I'll use an example of camping, because it is similar. When you plan a camping trip, you set the time, plan out what will happen, get your gear together, prepare yourself for what will happen, dress appropriately, and when you finally set up camp, you have a good time knowing everything is taken care of, and you're prepared. But camping wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable if you didn't prepare for it. Perhaps your car got stuck in the snow for a couple days.

But this same amount of preparation doesn't go into, let's say, a date night. No, it's not a matter of survival, but how much more would you enjoy the evening if it was prepared in advance? You set the time, plan the events, get your gear together, prepare yourself for conversation, dress appropriately, and when you arrive, you have a good time knowing everything is taken care of, and you're prepared.

Glamor is like that. It's a break from the ordinary into a romantic adventure. It's escaping the dregs of life and into a fantastic world of imagination.

How do I glamorize my life?
Adding glamor to life isn't difficult, and can be done in small measure. Here are a few things I've done to add glamor to my life:

• Have dinner at the dining room table, with glass tableware and cloth napkins.
• Dress up for date nights, and prepare the evening so half of the conversation isn't about what to do next. Even if all you're doing is going out for self-serve yogurt, put on some dressy clothes. Make the night special.
• Save up a little bit longer and purchase higher-quality items for the home. A chair that will last decades is worth far more than one that will last a few years.
• Read more books. Books stir your imagination much more than a TV program or movie because your mind has to fill in all the details the book does not provide. You become part of the story.
• Continue education constantly. Learning new things is a great endeavor that enhances the mind, and provides great opportunities for conversation always.
• Tea time. Tea is not only very tasty, it is something I've found to be very meditative. It provides a break from the day to participate in the Zen of preparing and consuming tea.
• Exercise often. The chemicals our brains release during exercise provide greater feelings throughout the day, and it's just much more healthy that living a sedentary lifestyle.
• Make plans, and show up. It is just too easy to go about life with no obligations. We don't want to commit to anything, so we tell our friends we'd like to get together but we don't make plans. When we do make plans, we show up late. Grow up, and take responsibility for your time.
• Get a hair cut. Low-maintenance hair is very easy to live with, but when you have a hair cut that takes time to put together every morning, you will look better, and will have a few minutes of your day just to yourself. I'm done with just buzzing my hair short. I still cut it short, but I get a shape to the hair to have a little style. 

From my examples, you can see that glamor doesn't take a lot of work, but the rewards are magnificent. Think up ways to make your days more elegant, think of ways to make your occasions more glamorous. You will find your life is richer.

If you have ways of glamorizing your life, post them in the comments.