“Now more than ever, we need to be impeccable, in word, in deed, and even in our approach to quotidian tasks,” says Susan Zelouf …
It’s always night somewhere in the world, but lately it feels funereal 24/7, as if we’re living through a second Dark Age. The first Dark Age refers to some five to 900 years spanning the fifth to 14th centuries, give or take a century, during which, apparently, all manner of hell broke loose. Balance the barbarism unleashed by the fall of Rome, the oppression of feudalism, and the devastation wrought by the Black Death, with leaps in education, architecture, agriculture and the sciences (dissection explored human physiology while astronomy studied celestial bodies) and just how dark the Dark Ages actually were is debatable. The gloaming obscuring December’s waning daylight may cloak the gorgeous glimmer of what’s to come, yet still the dread is palpable as 2023 draws to a shadowy close. What comes next, we cannot know, but we can hope in the dark. Which is why, now more than ever, we need to be impeccable, in word, in deed, and even in our approach to quotidian tasks.
What does it mean to be impeccable, when we struggle to cope, bearing daily witness to the unthinkable? Monthly manicures cure more than cracked cuticles; doing dishes in immaculate, Adele-inspired gold shellac acrylic tips offers bulletproof distraction from nail-biting worries. Putting classic Montblanc pen to paper, old school, to write season’s greetings cards, thank you notes and condolence messages helps keep us connected to community, to gratitude, to empathy. Carefully setting the table, even for one, as my recently widowed mum-in-law does, preparing and tidying up after the same meals she and Dad shared together for 76 years (Saturday is still Fry-day in their impeccable Co Down household) keeps her tethered to his memory.
“If you want to change the world, start with yourself.” Mahatma Gandhi
The first of Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements (an essential little code-of-conduct book based on Toltec wisdom) asks that we be impeccable with our word. Fallout from the lies we tell, to ourselves and to others, clings to anyone within the blast radius, while the truth, like sunlight, is a powerful disinfectant. Our word is our bond, an oath that costs us nothing, except when we break it; breakages must be paid for.
With so much to do in the run-up to the holidays, consider customising an advent calendar with impeccable acts certain to spread delight. 1. Hang a seed nut fat ball to feed our wild Irish birds. 2. Be a Secret Santa by leaving someone a gorgeously wrapped pressie – regifting, anyone? 3. Buy a coffee for the person next-in-line and say nothing. 4. Tip the barista. 5. Thank the bus driver. 6. Compliment a cashier. 7. Hold the door for someone. 8. Say hello on elevators. 9. Write a note of appreciation to a teacher. 10. Send a positive text to five contacts. 11. Stick an inspirational Postit on a public bathroom mirror. 12. Leave a euro in a shopping trolley. 13. Praise a stranger’s style. 14. Pick up a piece of trash and bin it. 15. Wear something sparkly. 16. Admire yourself in a shop window. 17. Borrow a library book. 18. Leave a fiver in a library book. 19. Tell a knock-knock joke to a child. 20. Donate blood. 21. Write a good review for someone’s business. 22. Turn off your phone in restaurants. 23. Be the mentor you wish you had. 24. Say yes, please, and thank you.
1. I’M FATTENING up native birds with advice from www.birdwatchireland.ie.
2. I’M WEARING winter white from Valentino SS24.
3. I’M MAKING a little girl’s day with a handmade dusty pink linen bow by www.daisyandtanya.ie. For big girls, too!
4. I’M LURING a fisherman friend with a Westin Original Swim Advent Calendar, with 24 swim lures; in stock at www.fishdeal.ie.
5. I’M PERFECTING my best qualities in The Secret is Love collectible powder compact by Monica Rich Kosann. www.esteelauder.com.
6. I’M GLAMMING it up in clothes by www.sachinandbabi.com.
7. I’M SEASONING the stuffing with sterling silver and gilded Chicken Leg Salt & Pepper Shakers. Visit Asprey’s Mayfair showroom to shop their iconic range.
8. I’M PAINTING the town allsorts in Les Mains Hermès varnishes.
9. I’M BREAKFASTING at Tiffany’s via www.assouline.com.
10. I’M WINING dining guests with Château La Coste Rosé & White Chocolate Truffles; wine included. www.skelligschocolate.com.
11. I’M JINGLING in an IM gold bracelet by Isabel Marant, at Electra, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. www.electra.ie.
12. I’M RADIATING golden girl vibes in Chantecaille, to order from www.cultbeauty.com.
13. I’M POINTING the way foward in lustrous gold. Chanel Le Vernis in Tuxedo, at Brown Thomas.
14. I’M BAGGING Jimmy Choo’s embellished gold leather Callie clutch, at Brown Thomas.
15. I’M EVOKING the wild Atlantic with a Driftwood and Sea Salt candle from www.somasstudio.com.
16. I’M RINGING changes in a Shimell & Madden blue beryl gold and diamond Horizon ring. Visit www.designyard.com.
17. I’M TANGO-ING in Gianvito Rossi Mary Ribbon metallic leather pumps, from www.mytheresa.com.