Open-hearted joys 開開心心 № 08

Capturing the tiny details of my everyday mundane and the moments that weave poetry to my days.

Sundaze Book Café is the home of everyday magic, joyful living and conversations likely to be had over a hot drink with a friend in your favourite café, capturing the syrup-slow feel and glow of a Sunday. I’m Michelle, and I’ll be your host today.

Happy Friday, friends!

This week was the week of woman down. I swear, I’ve had a December flu every year since I turned 18 and I think it’s just a ‘chronic illness girlie’ thing because flu jab or not, 80% whole foods or not, it gets me every single year. I even fully attempted to log in and work but, as encouraged by my manager, took a few days off to rest and lay horizontal. I was so sick that I couldn’t even enjoy a scroll on my phone or read a book, because my arm muscles ached so much! But it did remind me of just how much I love it any time I don’t or can’t scroll social media. And, I got to watch (or listen to!) a few Christmas films as well. Sick days but make them festive(!) Anyway, welcome to a sick days edition of ‘Open-hearted joys’.

There’s a lot to be said for appreciating the smaller, not necessarily finer, details of the everyday mundane. Here’s to another list of petite, open-hearted joys, the moments that’ve brought and woven poetry to my days, this week:

一. The bite of December air tiptoeing through the windows each morning. I love throwing open the windows first thing to refresh the bedroom, and the crisp chill feels so good.

二. Reading the cute little messages our customers write on their & Chai orders. Louise and I read every single one when we hand-pack them! On that note, seeing the uplift in small biz support this year has been wonderful too. It’s been a really difficult two years in small biz life, and we haven’t been sure whether we could afford to keep going at a few points. Here’s hoping we can keep the momentum going.

三. Reading Ella’s posts every Wednesday – it’s just part of my weekly schedule now.

四. Celebrating my boyfriend’s niece’s birthday at her fairy party over the weekend. (I’m 99% sure that’s where I got sick.) It was lovely to spend time with my boyfriend’s family, see the little ones, and have a bit of a catch-up ahead of the festive period.

五. The simply unbeatable feeling of being able to breathe properly again after being flu-ridden for days. Moments before the blocked nose got me, I actually remember thinking: ‘Damn I need to savour this fresh air’.

六. Picking furniture for the new house. I think we’ve almost settled on our dining table! And I’ve chosen my standing desk, and bookmarked endless ‘bits’ on Vinterior. I can’t wait to get started with decorating and furnishing the place.

七. Looking forward to my day trip to Paris tomorrow! Can’t wait to spend some time with my bestie and admire all of the city of love’s twinkling Christmas lights.

八. A sick day spent watching back-to-back Christmas films. I surprisingly liked ‘Best. Christmas. Ever!’.

九. Wicked. I’ve never seen the stage musical or even watched The Wizard of Oz, so it was a lot of fun to watch the new film completely new. I went with one of my best friends and it was the perfect, relaxed mid-week girls’ night.

十. This community. It’s been a really full-on month, but my heart feels light, lifted and full every single time I open the app or website.

Share a joy from your week in the comments, and I’ll see you again next Friday.