Open-hearted joys 開開心心 № 76

A weekly series capturing gratitude for the tiny details of my everyday mundane; 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, my loves!

My week felt like being shoved on a rollercoaster that, moment by moment, ran faster and faster until I couldn’t possibly get off, a white-knuckle ride that I was wholly unprepared for. And, I suppose, that’s a pretty good metaphor for everyday life in adulthood. Not much – school, eldest daughter life, childhood trauma – prepares you for how constant it all is, and how responsibilities are endlessly piled on top of one another. For me, this looked like a deadline-heavy schedule in my day job, a hectic seven days in wedding-planning, countless errands to get on top of, plus trying to maintain my workout routine (since I always feel more grounded after some movement) around it all. What you can control, however, is how you seek out life’s small joys in-between. From a good cup of tea to unexpected rain, there’s a little glimmer of good in nearly everything, and I hope this weekly series continues to remind you of that.

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 open-hearted joys, the moments that’ve woven poetry to my days, this week.

一. Rainy walks. There’s a time and a place for them, and it felt quite refreshing to wander around in the rain, all bundled up in wellies and a raincoat! Somehow, it washed away my gloomth. (Thanks Amandine for sharing that phrase with me!)

二. The excitement of being reunited with my work besties. We’ve each been away over the past four weeks, and this was our first week all back together!

三. The glow of productive wedding planning days and weeks.

四. An evening walk with Dad, my sister and our family dog. The perfect way to close the day.

五. Trading screen time for a 10k run followed by a night of catching up in my journals.

六. The duality of England’s summer thunderstorms that are followed by bold blue skies.

七. Enjoying a Vietnamese coffee while I write.

八. Reading indoors during Wednesday night’s torrential downpour with our new living room lamp on, some sample(!!) & Chai candles burning, and a pot of Dad’s homegrown strawberries for company.

九. How fresh the house feels for, I don’t know, 10 minutes, after a top-to-toe clean with the laundry put away and a new scented candle lit. It’s fun to put the airer away for a moment and pretend the house looks presentable all the time!

十. A good nights’ sleep.

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