Open-hearted joys 開開心心 88
Happy Friday, my loves!
I’m soaking in all of the late summer feels at the moment. From noticing evenings slow-drip shorter to watching that incomparable neon sunset glow that only August seems to provide, it feels bittersweet and nostalgic all at the same time. This time of year also tends to shake me into a renewed wave of productivity: I want to refresh my stationery, get my writers’ notebooks in order, update my meal plans, treat the school year as my personal September start. On one hand, my diary is packed with late summer plans (outdoor cinemas, al fresco dinners, book launch events, birthday celebrations), and on the other, I’m so looking forward to winding down a touch and starting fresh.
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. Spending Sunday with Mum and my sister at Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical. It was so much fun and we already wish we could do it all over again!
二. Blissful heatwave days. I’m loving my after-work and afternoon walks. 10,000 steps is so much easier to reach when it’s gorgeously sunny outside. I pop my keys and phone in my pocket, leave the earphones at home (important!) and roam for about an hour each time. So far, so good on my new healthy girl habits.
三. Tiny Bookshop. I’m completely addicted to this cosy indie game! You play as a bookseller of a mobile bookshop, recommending titles to locals, collecting stamps and getting to know the residents. Plus, there’s a great range of books programmed in!
四. Dappled sunlight glowing in our living room each early evening.
五. A date night with some of my oldest school friends. It was long overdue, as is any catch-up in your thirties, but one of the loveliest evenings. We’re 34, of course we went for a mooch around M&S after dinner!
六. The man that sat cheering me on as I ran my third lap of the lake on Tuesday. He really kept me going!
七. Anticipation ramping up for Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl!
八. Reformer Pilates after a long day crunched over at my desk. Nothing beats the stretch and strength combination of a Reformer class.
九. The Storygraph buddy reads. I’m reading The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami with a friend on there, and it’s been great for chatting about the book without spoilers and in a more organised format. I’m thinking of opening up some form of Sundaze Book Café buddy read ‘thing’ in the autumn for Substack readers.
十. How wandering beneath the trees feels like a cooling, misty balm whilst it’s sweltering everywhere else.
