I Just Spent a Week on Nantucket... Here's How I'm Making My Mainland Life Feel a Little More Like the Island

I just spent a week on Nantucket, and now I'm on a mission to make my mainland life feel a little more like my favorite island.

Which got me thinking... what is it about Nantucket that feels so special? Is it the cedar shingles? The beaches? The bikes lined up outside coffee shops?

Those things certainly help. But after a week there, I don't think that's fully it.

What makes Nantucket feel different is that everyday life seems just a little more... elevated.

Not in a fancy way.

In an intentional way.

There seems to be a quiet appreciation for quality over quantity and curation over convenience. People choose the scenic route instead of the fastest one. They wander into local shops instead of clicking "add to cart." They walk to dinner, linger over coffee, and don't seem to mind if an errand takes a little longer because the experience itself is part of the point.

Back home, convenience tends to win. We order online instead of wandering into a local shop. We save the "good" dishes, the favorite dress, or the nice jewelry for a special occasion that may or may not come. We race through errands instead of turning them into an outing.

Somewhere along the way, efficiency became the goal. We optimized our schedules, tried to eliminate every inconvenience, and packed our days as tightly as possible. In many ways, life became easier. But I can't help but wonder if we also edited out some of the moments that make everyday life enjoyable.

So rather than trying to recreate Nantucket, I'm going to borrow a few of its habits. Summer seems like the perfect time to give it a try.

I'm going to buy fresh flowers more often—not because guests are coming over, but because I'll enjoy seeing them on the kitchen table.

I'll still do my weekly grocery shopping, but I'm going to save my fruits and vegetables for a stop at the farmers market or Cider Hill Farm whenever I can. It's less about checking something off a list and more about enjoying the experience.

I'm going to wear the dress. The jewelry. The shoes. The things I've been saving for "someday."

I'm going to spend more afternoons walking through Newburyport, Portsmouth, Rockport, or another coastal town just because it's fun to notice the gardens, architecture, little shops, and all the thoughtful details. Nantucket reminded me that wandering isn't time wasted. It's often where inspiration quietly finds you.

And maybe that's really what I'm bringing home from Nantucket.

Not decorating ideas or restaurant recommendations, but permission to do a little less so I can enjoy a little more. To leave a little room in the day for fresh flowers, slow walks, farm stands, conversations, and the kinds of ordinary moments that rarely feel important while they're happening but somehow become the ones we remember most.

So that's my little summer experiment: borrowing a few of the habits that make Nantucket feel so special and seeing how many of them fit into my everyday life back home.

I'd love to know, what's one thing you've brought home from a vacation that became part of your everyday life? Or, if you've been to Nantucket, what do you think gives the island its magic?