“We wander for distraction but we travel for fulfilment”. – Hillaire Belloc
Here at TML, we understand that right now, plain flour is more essential than a list of the hottest new resorts. Social media feeds that were once filled with chef’s masterpieces are now teeming with Navajo flatbread flat lays.
Now it’s the simple pleasures we value. Making jam and banana bread. Not only therapeutic diversions but gifts to share with those we love. Those that in this time of isolation that we hold dear, we need to hold near, but can’t.
Uncertainty and isolation bring an overwhelming need for comfort. A yearning for the familiar and a need for insulation to protect us from the separation. Even if we have not been directly touched by the pandemic we grieve. We grieve for what life was like just a few short weeks ago.
TML has been quiet for the last few weeks. It takes a little while to digest the current crisis and consider our place in it. As a blog dedicated to sharing the magnificent moments, places and tastes, tone-deaf, ‘let them eat cake’ indulgence has no place. Indulgence is not entirely off-limits but it needs to be a whole lot different. Not merely to satisfy some temporary craving but to soothe and maybe transport us somewhere else. Taking the time to dream is good for the soul.
In our first issue, (way back in 2010) we wrote our first and only editorial:
“We have four words we like to apply to true luxury brands: Heritage, Craftsmanship, Rarity and Integrity. Applying them to ourselves, we know it will take a long while to establish the First. The Second we work on every day. The Third, well, we certainly will offer exclusivity, but perhaps more ‘medium-rare’ in terms of readership. On the Fourth, you have our word”.
Now, more than ever I hope we’ve kept our word.
Essential workers don’t have time for the indulgence of sourdough starters or Zoom cocktail catch-ups. They’re still working outside the home and juggling childcare and homeschooling while keeping their families safe. Many Australians wait for word from Centrelink to simply pay the rent.
Meanwhile, daily, we lose irreplaceable talent and wisdom from an older generation of musicians, scholars, housewives and story-tellers.
We need good news and stories that enlighten and enrich our stay at home days. So, for now, it seems to be the right time to be transformed by the virtual and immersed in the unfamiliar while curled up safely on the sofa.
In the next few weeks, This Magnificent Life will virtually navigate a city that we thought we would be exploring right now. If ‘work from home’ at the kitchen table isn’t working for you we have a solution for that too. We’ll also look at the low alcohol wine trend and what drops pass the test and are better for your health. When the time’s right our regular restaurant and hotel reviews will be back.
Relishing simple pleasures, celebrating the little things and taking the time to dream every day sounds like a plan. That’s what we hope to do, so please join us as we too #stayathome.
