Open-hearted joys 開開心心 21

My oh my, doesn’t it feel good to push aside responsibilities for a moment and scribble down some of my silly little joys?! Now that we’ve had a test week with 2022, I’m feeling hopeful, light and optimistic about 2022 has to offer. Whether it’s cold evenings wrapped up, burrito-style, in a blanket with my latest read or driving to a friend’s for a cup of tea and a bloody good chat, January has been kind so far. And, thank you so much for the generous response to my ‘Hello 2022’ post. I’m still here! But already I’m reaping the benefits of not letting the online world soak up my IRL time. In fact, it’s lead me to file a feature for a client that I am incredibly proud of, dabble in bookstagram, rejoin the gym and be more present for family nights at home.

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 fortnight:

一. A cosy start to the New Year. I spent it with my best friend, eating a takeaway and playing Nintendo Switch games aaallll night.

二. The prospect of a fresh 12 months to play with! I’m very much a New Year start person, and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2022 brings. Let’s say I’ve been doing lots of planning and doing!

三. How great it feels to have a fridge full of freshly prepared snacks and lunches.

四. An entire evening spent experimenting and working away on new projects on my Cricut Maker 3.

五. How lovely and fresh the house feels with our cosy Christmas decorations packed away. I love our festive decorations, but it’s great to have some breathing space back.

六. Mornings with a coffee, vegan croissant – I buy the Pret bake-your-own ones from Tesco – and 50 or so pages of my current read. I started this routine in 2021, and it’s easily one of the ones I’m happy to continue.

七. My new bookstagram!! I made the leap to start a new account ‘just for fun’ but, between you and I, I’m already enjoying it way more than my main one. I really can’t wait to capture all of the books I read in 2022.

八. An afternoon with my friend Natasha. We went for a lengthy farm walk before catching up over an outdoors lunch. If the pandemic showed me anything, it’s to cherish precious time spent with friends.

九. Reopening & Chai! We had the most restful Christmas break and are SO ready for a brand new year of creating beautiful candles. Head over to the website from 12pm to discover our Lunar New Year collection and find everything fully restocked.

十. Time, wondrous time. Spent gaming, reading, hanging out with my Mama, working out or simply relaxing with music.

What are some of the little, open-hearted joys in your life lately?