I read this book recently about a woman who worked at a tiny cafe. 

She lived in the same small town since she was born.

Her life was simple: wake up, go to work, chat with the customers she’d grown to love, walk home, eat dinner with her family, and go to sleep.

Then one day, out of the blue, her boss decided to shut down the cafe.

…And the rest of the story is that woman’s journey from her comfortable world to one of risk and adventure, to “really living”, as the author sees it.

And that’s great. Opening yourself up to new experiences is awesome and important. Duh. 

But the book’s recurring theme — that her little life before wasn’t enough — felt so messed up to me.

I mean, at one point, the main character turned down a flashy job in New York City to care for a family member who needed her.

Amazing, right? It’s rare we see that kind of compassion and love.

Yet the author painted her choice as boring, fearful, even lazy.

I grew more and more frustrated with every turned page, as I realized the whole point of the book was to show how the character’s simple life before was something to be fixed.

Seeing as that book became a New York Times bestseller, I might be in the minority here. But I’m way more interested in the other kind of story…

The one about a woman who carves out happiness, even in a small, boring town.

Who feels purpose in honest work, without trying to impress anyone.

Who keeps the things that matter most front and center, even when the world tries to distract her at every turn.

…The end. 😌

Westwind Journal is my little way of telling, in blog-sized slivers and slices, that other kind of story.

Our house (called Westwind Cottage) sits at the top of a big hill here in Yorkshire, England. And one of my favorite things about it is how loudly the wind howls when it gets going.

That’s something my dad loved — one of “life’s little pleasures,” as he called them: listening to the weather rage while you were safe and warm inside. That juxtaposition added to the coziness.

Westwind Journal is about making a soft spot in the wild outside world. (Literally aaaand figuratively, bud. 😉)

It’s the food. The design ideas. The wellness tricks. The intentional choices that keep what matters most front and center, even when the world tries to distract you at every turn.

It’s a conglomeration of life’s little pleasures to create that feeling of “home,” wherever you are.

About Whitney Ryan Prendergast

Rather than go into some weirdly formal bio where I write about myself in the third person, here’s a smattering of fun facts about me ☺️:

I’m an American living in England. But not the sparkly London part. We live at the other end of the country, where the cows and sheep outnumber people, easily 10:1.

I met my husband working at a summer camp in the States, in 2007.

The best person I know is my dog, Brody. (Close second: the husband JP. 😉) He’s a tiny poodle mix we adopted nearly a decade ago and he’s just as happy going on long hikes as he is curling up in front of the fire. See him in action at #brodyprend on Instagram.

For me, there’s nothing cozier or more comforting than the Harry Potter stories.

I’m learning to garden! Slowly and highly imperfectly…but it’s happening.

I’m a persuasion copywriter by trade and I’ve been my own boss since 2014. You can learn more about that at whitneyryan.com.

My last home before England was Chicago and I miss the city (and the Cafe Tola empanadas) daily.

I studied psychology and marketing at uni, with dreams of becoming a therapist. Life took a few turns since then — you can read that story here, if you’d like — but I’m still endlessly fascinated by mental health.

I’d love to connect on Instagram! Find me at @whitneyprend and say hi on a recent photo — I like it when people say hi. 🤗