my mind’s a place where mistakes are made

Two Piece Top and Skirt Set: Vintage

Even though summer is quickly coming to an end, the weather has been so hot and humid this past week. The perfect excuse for me to continue wearing my summer clothes and go to the beach! A few weeks ago we headed to one of the most beautiful beaches while camping, only a couple hours drive from Toronto. On the edge of Lake Huron, the beach at Pinery Provincial Park is one of the nicest and most comfortable to swim in within the GTA and surrounding area. The water was warm and the scenery was beautiful with sand dunes and tall grass leading you down to the beach area, where National Geographic has named it one of the top places in North America to watch the sunset. I’ve never been to Cape Cod, but the beach here is exactly what I would picture in Cape Cod, beautiful and serene, like out of a Nicholas Sparks romance novel.

To keep cool at the beach, I opted for this two piece set, consisting of a loose oversized sleeveless blouse and matching maxi skirt. I found this at my local thrift store, and when I saw the dusty pink colour peeking out from the rack, it immediately grabbed my attention. When I took it out and realized there were sunflowers printed all over and it was a matching set (y’all know how OBSESSED I am with matching sets), I knew I had hit the jackpot. I even contemplated selling this on my Etsy vintage shop, but there was something about it that I couldn’t just let it go. I mean, it’s everything I love – my favourite colour, my favourite flower, and my current favourite clothing piece! I’ve already worn this set a few times this summer, and I plan on transitioning it into fall with an oversized denim jacket on top and suede booties.

Since I still refuse to believe that Summer is about to leave us, I’m continuing to listen to my Summer 2018 Spotify playlist. One song that I’ve had on there since the beginning of Summer and has definitely been one of my Summer jams this year is Slow Down by Victors. I’m quite surprised that this four piece Leeds based indie electronic-pop band aren’t bigger than they are, because they definitely deserve to be. When I first discovered Victors, they sounded oddly familiar to one of my favourite bands (and I’m sure a lot of yours too), The 1975. With catchy hooks and upbeat melodies, they could definitely give The 1975 a run for their money. While we wait for the new 1975 album to drop, definitely go give Slow Down by Victors a listen!

This song is so pleasantly disguised in an upbeat catchy pop anthem, that only those who really dive into the lyrics uncover the true meaning behind the song. Although the lyrics are quite generic, Slow Down pretty much explores what stems from mental health. It’s funny that it’s 2018 and mental health is still one of those things we don’t talk about enough, yet is something that so many of us struggle with everyday. We each struggle with our own individual issues, and it’s important to talk about it rather than bottling it up inside, where it’s bound to make the situation worse. This song opens the door for that conversation, and is also a reminder for all of us to take a moment to slow down and realize that we are all going through something, and that no one is ever alone.

My favourite line of this song comes near the end, and in slightly muffled vocals over the most atmospheric and dreamy part of the song, it goes “my mind’s a place where mistakes are made.” I love that the band chose to put this line at this point in the song, really emphasizing the idea of being in your head. For me, this resonated so much because I can just recall the number of times that I was so in my head that I wasn’t appreciating the very moment I was in. For example, I remember after a really overwhelming and stressful day at work, I was off to a concert that I had been looking forward to for a long time. But while at the concert, my mind kept running through the events of the day and all the other things I would have to do at work the next day that it really took away from my time of actually being at the concert and enjoying it. Looking back on it, I regret being in my head so much at that time, when I should’ve been having a blast and enjoying the moment. This is something I still struggle with all the time, but am trying to work on everyday.

As Victors reminds us in this song, I’ll remind you again – you are never alone.  Never be ashamed of the issues you’re facing because we’re all facing them. Instead, just slow down for a moment and appreciate all the good things and little moments. You can do it!