Sky’s the Limit
The boxcutter blade tore through the packing tape, revealing the eclectic mix of candlesticks, picture frames and hardcover books inside the ragged cardboard. The box had broken down from the long journey, the bumps in the road sagging its corners. But the contents arrived intact, as had we. Exhausted from weeks of packing and planning, we had reached our destination, our new home.
We are the Harrington family. Welcome to Life and Whim.
Approaching 40, Heather and I (finally) realized that we faced a simple choice: either we make life happen, of we let life happen. You see, life became complicated. Three small kids, a demanding business, keeping up with friends and family – nothing out of the ordinary, just the challenges of everyday life. But the everyday became every day.
Wake up, get the crew dressed and fed, race to school drop-off, then into the office. Work like crazy, never get ahead. Scamper home. Cook dinner with spatula in one hand, baby in the other. Baths, pajamas, books and bedtime. Clean up the mess. Collapse on the couch. Click on the TV. Day after day. Routine took hold and weeks, months and years quickly passed, almost indistinguishably.
“Is this our life?”
Something had to change, or something had to give. Fortunately, we both yearned for change.
Life and Whim is the result of our choice to make life happen and live intentionally. To prioritize having more experiences over having more things. To laugh and love, and encourage others to do the same. To take careful aim, because you only get one shot at this.
We are not extraordinary, nor is our life. We’ve had setbacks and learned hard lessons. We’ve also been blessed with amazing opportunities. We believe the insights we’ve drawn from our experiences are pretty universal. And this is our platform to discuss them – the good, the bad and the ugly – with our readers; to celebrate life’s gifts and tackle its challenges.
Life & Whim, therefore, is not a lifestyle blog, a minimalism blog, a fitness blog, a fashion blog, a business blog, a food blog, or a family blog. It’s all of those things. It’s a Life blog.
It’s also a Whim blog. One of the biggest and boldest – and hardest – actions we took in this quest was moving our family from the suburbs of Detroit to Traverse City. Northern Michigan has always been a magical place for us, as we know it is for many others in Michigan, and across the country. It’s a place where we can embrace our love of outdoor activities, great food, beer and wine, stunning design and the majesty of nature. And it’s where we want to raise our family.
Through Life and Whim we hope to bring a bit of that magic to our readers by capturing the essence of the people, places, products and passions that make “Up North” so special. And in our experience, magical moments happen at the most unexpected times…on a whim.
Above all, we hope to share a unique perspective for an authentic purpose: helping others – thereby helping ourselves – to live a life full of adventure, discovery, happiness and contentment.
Have you ever wanted to do something different, live somewhere different or be something different? We’re traveling down this road and we invite you to join us on the journey. We’re not headed anywhere in particular, but we plan on having a great time along the way. Small steps. Big dreams. Sky’s the limit.