Open-hearted joys 開開心心 89
Happy Friday, my loves!
Middling moments and weeks are essential, even though they sometimes feel odd and neither here nor there. Somehow, as a collective society, we’ve been made to feel like only milestones are worth celebrating. The in-between, the necessary path to get there, the other bits, they’re all forgotten or deliberately pushed aside because a work in progress is messy and unfinished, and we only like to see a polished finished work. Right? Well, this week, I spent much of my days deep in the mundane and wishing for more than the middling. But, it’s been nice to sit back and get on with the little things, knowing that big things are coming and every stage is necessary.
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. A snug weekend at home with Milo. We had grand plans for a bonus afternoon walkies, but my little nine-year-old puppy simply wanted to snooze on the sofa, and that was completely fine by me! Instead, I read while he napped beside me.
二. The hot pot dinner that my fiancé and I indulged in on Saturday night. I always seem to forget how easy this meal is! We enjoyed a simple menu of beancurd rolls, beef rolls, lobster balls, fish tofu, and udon noodles, in my favourite tomato broth.
三. A deluge of rainfall on Monday afternoon that provided the perfect au naturale soundtrack to my (work) writing sprint and that meant I could skip watering the plants.
四. Adding some cosy touches to our still-work-in-progress living room. I picked up a sweet bouclé pumpkin cushion and a rechargeable lamp, which are both providing me with the perfect soft autumn evening ambience.
五. Kicking through the leaves in waterproof hiking boots.
六. A quiet night making kimchi jjigae for dinner, lighting new candles, trying a new-to-me tea, repairing clothes, and simply getting all my ducks in a row.
七. Receiving a super thoughtful gift hamper from some stakeholders at work, as a thank you for working on a big project together that was shown to external clients. Little touches like this really make a difference amidst the everyday mundane and work cycle.
八. The p-update videos that my brother and sister-in-law keep sending over of their newest fluffy addition! He’s the sweetest little thing!
九. Conducting a techo kaigi on my Traveler’s Notebook system, since I’m coming to the end of one of my inserts and quite fancy updating my notebook line-up to better suit my always-changing needs. I’m so excited to order a few new additions.
十. Girls’ night with my sister. We finished watching Wayward and cooked a delicious Sunday roast together. There’s truly nothing better during these grey autumn days.
