Bo·he·mi·an
bōˈhēmēən/
noun
- 1.a native or inhabitant of Bohemia.
- 2.a person who has informal and unconventional social habits, especially an artist or writer."the young bohemians with their art galleries and sushi bars"
synonyms: nonconformist, free spirit, dropout;
adjective
- 1.of or relating to Bohemia or its people.
- 2.having informal and unconventional social habits."the bohemian writer's drafty-garret existence"
synonyms: unconventional, nonconformist, unorthodox, avant-garde, irregular,offbeat, alternative; More
I'm the first to admit, I am Bohemian. I've never been to Europe, so obviously I'm referring to the second meaning: Informal, unconventional.
Do you know that I don't wear shoes? I hate them. They don't feel good on my feet, and they make it harder for me to walk. I can climb just fine, if I'm barefoot, but if I can't feel my toes against whatever I'm climbing, I'm lost.
Just in the last few years living in the High Desert have I even owned a pair of slippers. My husband gave them to me for Christmas, and they're lovely. They're fuzzy and warm, and they keep my tootsies warm when it's 5 below outside. Did you know they had fuzzy things out there that could do that?
Here's another tidbit about yours truly. I don't even own a matching set of dishes. It's true, my kitchen is a modge-podge. Our dinner plates are actually 'salad' plates, and I buy them when they strike my fancy. I could set a formal table, I know how, I just don't see the need. But I do like dishes that are pleasant to the eye when you lay the table. Beauty is more important to me than formality any day.
Same with glasses. I buy them in sets of four, but we've got at least six different kinds in the cupboard in all different colors and shapes. I don't drink wine or liquor of any kind, but I own several sets of stemware. They're elegant, and I like them, and that's a good enough reason to drink ice water out of a goblet if I feel like it.
Does anybody care that I don't do things the "proper" way? Okay, anyone other than my mother-in-law?
Why is she telling me all this, you wonder. Did you notice that in both of the number 2 definitions above, there is reference to artist and writers. Is it so obvious that art, writing, and unconventionality go together like grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup?
It's not any new discovery. I found this quote:
The term Bohemian has come to be very commonly accepted in our day as the description of a certain kind of literary gypsy, no matter in what language he speaks, or what city he inhabits .... A Bohemian is simply an artist or "littérateur" who, consciously or unconsciously, secedes from conventionality in life and in art. (Westminster Review, 1862)I love that there's a word in there I've never heard before - that doesn't happen very often. Instead of a writer, I'm going to call myself a 'litterateur' from now on.
Most of the writers I know are pretty comfortable with their Bohemian side, and I think that's great. I think that's part of what makes us artist/writers/performers - that willingness to step outside conventionality and make our own world around ourselves.
I also love the phrase "literary gypsy". It speaks to who I am, and my life in movement. When we moved into the home we currently live in, in 2014, it was my 40th move. I'm the biggest non-dna gypsy that I know.There's always something new to see, to learn, to do. Even if I never move houses again, I will always wander. Maybe not to new places, but new learnings, new ideas, new things to try.
I have at least one friend who doesn't get it. She is my antithesis in almost every way. She likes her nice conventional life, and she likes me, but she thinks I'm weird. I think she's predictable. And we're both okay with that, because we value each other, we don't grade by lifestyle. If only everyone could see each other that way.
I like who I am. I like beautiful things around me, my friends to feel free in my company, my family to feel loved, and the blue sky above me. Genealogically speaking, I'm 98% British. But as far as my life, my personality, my spirit is concerned, I am 100% Bohemian!
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