The Summer Paradise Found Waistbeads

I always assumed paradise would involve a private island, a flattering swimsuit and somebody else paying for the hotel.

Apparently, it can also be one sunny afternoon when nobody needs anything from you and your phone is on Do Not Disturb.

Unexpected.

Paradise Found is for the woman who has spent three hours comparing holidays, opened seventeen tabs and booked absolutely nothing because the reviews mentioned “limited breakfast options.”

She wants turquoise water, room service and a complete escape from her current life.

Instead, she gets 23 degrees, a cold drink on a Dutch terrace and the shocking discovery that she is actually having a lovely time.

Maybe paradise is not a location.

Maybe it is the moment you stop waiting for everything to be perfect before allowing yourself to enjoy it.

These traditional West African tie on waistbeads are knotted around your waist or hips and remain there continuously. No clasp. No elastic. No remembering to pack them.

They are already coming with you.

To the beach.
To the back garden.
To the holiday you eventually book.
And to Albert Heijn five minutes before closing because paradise apparently still requires snacks.

Wear them beneath your summer dress as your private little piece of heaven.

Let them peek above your bikini when you feel like becoming the best part of the scenery.

Or keep them completely hidden while everybody assumes your good mood is the result of adequate vitamin D.

Adorable.

You do not need a different life.
A smaller body.
Or a boarding pass to somewhere expensive.

Sometimes paradise is simply the body you already have, beautifully adorned, on a day you finally remembered to enjoy.

Part of the limited Summer of Self-Care Collection.

Choose your waistbeads. Paradise has been found, and apparently it was underneath your clothes the entire time.