Open-hearted (festive) joys 開開心心 39

Can you believe it is already time to round off another 12 months of gratitude with my annual festive joys? I can’t. December this year started off full of anxiety. Not all seasons of life are joyful and carefree, especially this one. I received a letter in early November, informing me that my cervical screening a few weeks prior had shown abnormalities and low-grade changes to cells in my cervix. To be honest, I think I mostly shut down for a couple of weeks. I shared the news with my friends and partner, and we fretted together (they all reassured me but, it’s scary, isn’t it?). Thankfully, this week I had my follow-up appointment for a colposcopy which showed that the cells are still low-grade and not pre-cancerous, like they’d originally worried.

Needless to say, I feel a wave of relief. I’ve felt SO anxious for the past month and as though I haven’t been able to look forward to anything or make any plans. Irrational, I know. With that safely past me, I’m finally feeling festive and feel even more grateful for this little life of mine.

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. The euphoria of leaving the hospital clinic, hand-in-hand with my boyfriend, feeling overwhelming relief and the warmth of his hands.

二. Quiet after-work evenings spent reading under a blanket.

三. Wednesday lunch breaks with my wonderful colleagues – we’re making a point to enjoy fortnightly lunches out together.

四. How cosy our lounge is, with & Chai candlelight and the Christmas tree twinkling away.

五. Roasted chestnuts on carts on street corners in Milan, a few weekends ago.

六. The ritual of writing Christmas cards, a neat little stack slowly piling up beside me.

七. A (very) frosty walk ‘round the lake with Dad, chatting about everything under the (winter) sun and catching each other up on our busy lives.

八. Christmas tree day with my boyfriend. It’s already one of my favourite traditions that we’ve created, and this year it felt so special to decorate the tree and reflect on the incredible year we’ve had together.

九. Feeling invigorated by work. Our Festive campaigns went live and, even though we’re winding down for the year, I feel so motivated to improve myself at work and get stuck in to a fresh new year.

十. Advent calendar chocolate.

What are some of the little joys from your life lately?