TheFixer Upperstar, 41, admits that slowing down and changing her perspective hasn’t been simple for her — a sentiment she shares in the winter issue ofMagnolia Journal, which hits newsstands on November 8.
PEOPLE got a sneak peek at the new release — which features the home design expert on the cover in a glamorous black gown — and the inside scoop on the ways she has been working to make her resolution a reality.
She shares that two simple words have helped her on this journey: “Look up.”
Cody Ulrich
“I came up with this mantra of sorts that I’d whisper to myself or repeat in my head whenever I felt that invariable tug to disengage from the present,” she explains. “And because I believe there is power inasking our body to act on our heart’s behalf, no matter where I was or what task may have been in front of me, if I sensed myself drifting, I’d do my best to pause and look up.”
Magnolia
The Magnolia maven admitsthat she is still very much a work in progress, continually finding herself thinking of what’s to come rather than soaking in the beauty of the moment, but says that this forced shift in perspective is one of the best things she’s ever done for herself.
“Here’s what I’m finding when I do choose to look up,” she writes. “This way of living is so sweet, so full, and so beautiful, and now that I’ve experienced it, I never want to live any other way. Of course, not every moment has been worthy of the attention — but for the most part, the ones I’ve caught, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. And it’s made me wonder how many quiet miracles are happening all around us on a daily basis, and how many of them we fail to experience when we’re busy looking down.”
Joanna Gaines and son Crew.Joanna Gaines/Instagram
She finishes the essay with a note about winter, and the ways the season often feels like a conclusion.
“Some of us are sad another year is ending, and others can’t wait for it to be over already,” she writes. “But for now, for today, we can resolve to see our lives as richer than any past or future things. Right now, this very second, this is the gift. These are the days. These are the moments.”
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The Winter Issue ofMagnolia Journalis on sale November 8.
source: people.com
