Plus Two Delightful Things to Watch and Read
What’s your favorite simple pleasure this week?
One of the most delightful things I read this month was Big Salad’s (the substack from Cup of Jo’s Joanna Goddard and Kaitlyn Teer) listicle of simple pleasures. When everything — news, health, career, family — feels so big and loud, it’s nice to narrow your focus to the small and the lovely. I felt inspired to jot down a few of my own — what resonates for you?
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Reading before bed — preferably historical fiction set in Victorian times — or really anything from Jane Austen or Charles Dickens.
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Inviting a friend over to do a puzzle with a cup of herbal tea. Yes, I am that person that often has a puzzle going on the kitchen table, and I love to have help.
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The simple act of making soup or stew for my family that simmers all day on the stove and fills my house with the scent of comfort.
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Secret YouTube rabbit holes. Everyone’s got one. Mine is Bernadette Banner, a fashion historian who creates impressively accurate Victorian frippery with modern fabric on an antique sewing machine.
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Crisp, cozy pajamas. Lee Cordon, the creator of the modern etiquette site Do Say Give, recently talked about the idea of “being lovely at night.” I’ll aspire to that, but for now I have my eye on night dresses from If Only If. They’re handmade in Britain and the details are very special.
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Keeping cuticle cream next to my laptop. (Any nourishing oil will do, but I love both CND’s Solar Oil and Dior’s apricot cuticle cream.)
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Eight-minute phone calls with friends. The New York Times recently reported that even a brief chat has a measurable effect on our well-being.
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My daily chunk of 70+% cacao dark chocolate.
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Getting my car washed or detailed — having a clean car makes me feel so organized! (And it’s much easier to keep clean now that I don’t have little kids tossing small bits of food into every possible crevice.)
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Remember making mix tapes for all your friends back in the day? (Oh how I miss you, double cassette player from seventh grade.) These days I enjoy making Spotify playlists to share with friends or to celebrate an occasion.
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Keeping a nightly journal of “accomplishments” — key for when you’re in a season of tackling a big goal. Sorry for the visual, fellow animal lovers, but the adage “the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time” holds true. Starting a skincare company has been a huge undertaking thus far. Therefore I started keeping a journal of tasks accomplished which keeps me both encouraged and inspired during difficult times.
