Open-hearted joys 開開心心 98
Happy Friday, my loves!
Last week, Milo was at the vets’ for an operation and sedated, so I was a little absent online now. This week, Milo is completely recovered! In fact, I swapped places with him and fell unbelievably unwell with gastroenteritis shortly after we got home. Thankfully, I felt much better by Wednesday and I’ve been slowly melting in the heatwave here in England instead. Yep, we’re just replacing one ailment with another at this point! Whenever my usual routines are thrown out of whack, I feel extra grateful for the smaller joys in my little life. Whether that was enjoying a cheeky little doomscroll in front of the fan or rejoicing once the sun had gone down, I’ve been lapping it up and taking things one tiny moment at a time. It’s simply too hot to properly plan or do anything!
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. My fiancé, who looked after me (and laughed with me) while I was down and out for five days with the worst stomach bug I’ve ever had.
二. Lucozade for doing a runners-up job of the same.
三. The first crisp breeze in the morning during the great British heatwave that we’ve been weathering here in England. I’m down in the south east and it’s been terrifyingly hot ‘round here. Coupled with said stomach bug, it’s been truly unbearable and I’ve lived for that crisp 6am breeze while I potter in the garden and tend to my beloved hydrangeas.
四. Hanging wet towels all around the house, and on my legs, and it being a winning way to cool down.
五. A quiet evening of no errands: I spent the whole of it reading.
六. Refreshing our kitchen with a few new additions: namely pasta-patterned oven gloves, ceramic measuring cups, and an acacia wood spoon rest. I’m loving the slow, slow process of making our house a home.
七. Running errands by way of hanging out with my sister. Life in your thirties really is this quiet and busy and simple all at once. Plus, it means twice the hands and brains for figuring out those errands in question…
八. A crisp glass of cold water. (Forgive me, TCM gods, the heatwave required it!)
九. When it hits 10pm and a breeze floats through the bedroom window and gently ruffles our curtains. BLISS, I tell you!
十. The unbeatable feeling of finally writing something that I could deem good! I’ve been struggling with writing recently or, to be more precise, writing something that I felt was good enough to share publicly. As a writer, it always feels scary to have a dry spell, but I’m glad I persevered and I’m equally glad that I didn’t just share half-complete pieces.
