Open-hearted joys 開開心心 № 20

Capturing the tiny details of my everyday mundane and the small 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!

And a warm welcome to the newest faces ‘round here – it’s so good to see our community expanding. If you are new, this weekly series is where I share the small joys from my week. I began it on my blog in 2016 to help me through a tough time, and it’s been the most transformative practice. This week, it did just that as I weathered all sorts of mishaps in my personal and professional lives. Mercury in retrograde really had me; falling off a chair at a restaurant, knocking a display over in the supermarket, forgetting to checkout my grocery order, getting a flat tyre on my car… Whew.

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. Magnolia-spotting afternoons in London. A friend and I were in London at the weekend for an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, and we spotted so many gorgeous blooms on the Kings’ Road. We also popped into John Sandoe Books (I know, I’m obsessed) for a peruse, mid-thunderstorm. Immaculate ambience, to be honest.

二. A Sunday night cosied up with a reread of Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn, one of my favourite books ever. I first read this aged 11 and it had an indelible impact on me, something I’m even more sure of now that I’m rereading it in my thirties. From the epic scope to the social commentary, I am really grateful(?) for this book.

三. The fresh feeling of starting to use my Traveler’s Notebook. I’m pretty good at using a notebook to its fullest before adding any to my collection, yet a Traveler’s Notebook has lived from desk drawer to desk drawer since 2016, after I first purchased it in Tokyo. Now, as I prepare for another trip to Japan, I’m setting up a selection of notebooks in it: a commonplace book, a manuscript log, a travel scrapbook. Can’t wait to see it slowly become storied with marks of movement and being loved-on and lived-in.

四. Hosting Dad and my sister after work. Such is life in a ‘takeaway family’, my Dad only gets one day off work weekly and it falls on one of my in-office days. I’m really cherishing making the time to see him properly now that I’ve moved out of our family home.

五. Spotting flurries of butter yellow, apple green and petal pink wink at me as I drive through the villages en route to the office. After months of bare trees and a dull visual, this spring palette is very welcome to stay.

六. A string of great writing days! I’m now 14% into my target word count for my fiction manuscript and it feels really good. I often find it hard to juggle personal writing (usually my journal, and Substack or blog pieces) and writing for my novel. So, I’m making a proper plan for two ’formal’ book-writing stints in my week. Fingers crossed for some good progress!

七. The healing power of a catch-up with my excellent manager. Work has been stressful recently, but I’m really grateful to have a supportive manager that always has my back.

八. How my boyfriend, Mum and Dad rallied to help me when I got a flat tyre en route to our breakfast date on Sunday.

九. Actually, just how happy and safe and loved my boyfriend makes me feel, every day.

十. Lighting a new candle after a big cleaning session. *chef’s kiss*

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