“The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it.” - Diana Vreeland

I titled this blog “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” as a tribute to Muriel Barbery’s book (also a fabulous film). Ms. Barbery’s story is about a young girl questioning the purpose of life whilst being shown in a very unconventional way that life can be lived in beauty and elegance.

Elegance is indeed in the mind. It is the subtle combination of choices to create beauty imbued with contentment. Elegance need not be bold yet must have a sense of humor. Elegance must have a lightness of being, an ephemeral quality that asks you to be present because if not you might miss the very “aha” moment…the moment when elegance reveals itself.

Elegance must be kind and grateful. It need not be first. Elegance is happy just being. Elegance is all encompassing. It begins in the mind and then flows to elevate the core of what makes us sentient beings, which in turn then inspires us to create things of beauty.

Today, elegance is a word not often used…can we reflect why? What has caused us to move away from values that inspire elegance? Is it a thing of the past? Can we make elegance modern?

Just asking…