little joys and little sorrows #16

reflecting on august; big life changes, cosy games to heal the soul, the smooth transition from summer to autumn, saying goodbye to friends

hello quiet readers, it’s time for another end-of-month reflection where we take a look at the closing month and make a note of all the moments we’be been grateful and not so grateful for. how has august treated you?

august is always a calming month. it’s peak summer, the sun high in the sky, endless iced drinks and lazy days. it’s that summer holiday feeling that never quite escapes you even though you’re an adult working in the real world now. it’s always the most soothing transitions of all of the seasons to me. march feels so monumental as the world begins to unfurl and come back to life, like a black and white picture suddenly filling with vibrant colour. spring to summer can be as quiet as the first droplets of rain, barely noticeable some years. but i love witnessing the long, lazy days that stretch out at the end of summer relax in the soft blanket that is september. summer and autumn coalesce like a cat settling in for a long nap on a fading square of sunlight on the couch.

okay, let’s get into the lists.

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little joys

• the time my partner and i spend alone but in the same room (me on the switch or reading on the sofa, him at the desktop or working on a puzzle at the desk) i love spending time with him like this

• cosy games are healing something within me that i didn’t know needed healing. i just recently started playing hello kitty island adventure and i’m obsessed, it’s so bloody adorable

• currently making some huge life decisions that are equally terrifying and exciting, but i’m hoping everything works out (will update your properly soon when everything is confirmed!)

• very grateful for the higher power that made my period come early so i didn’t miss notting hill carinval this year

• staying in the present but quietly admitting my excitement for cosy season

• loving being in my “obsessed with reading” phase, you can read more about that here and here

• using my daily planner again and working those memory muscles for when i inevitably forget to write in it for a couple days

• this month i learned that i am someone who always likes to decorate their surroundings, even if it’s only temporary, i.e. being at the desktop demanded setting up a few crystals, cute rubbers, my nintendo ds lite and a pink candle

• finally finding the perfect version of little women by louisa may alcott (pictured below)

• never getting over the soothing nature of cafes and bookshops

• having a v good skin month? skincare can only do so much, drink water girlies

• noticing myself grow, learning more about myself — i’ve always loved london and a busy city vibe but i’ve also always known that i am a quiet person who likes quiet spaces, and this has always confused me. i think i’ve now realised that this means i am someone who like to have a good time somewhere like london but needs to have somewhere quiet to come back to (like norfolk… hint hint)

• looking forward to the completely new life that is coming my way, the person i am going to become, the friends i’m going to (hopefully) make, a new chapter is just around the corner

little sorrows

• carnival wasn’t as good as last year but it was still incredible to hear the bass of the soca music deep in my chest, the sun on my face — makes me so happy

• i haven’t been regularly working out for way too long, neglecting my health isn’t cute

• saying goodbye to my friend who moved abroad and who i won’t see for another two years probably

• japanese books with cats on the cover are no longer niche which means some just feel like filler (looking at you days at the morisaki bookshop)

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thank you for reading today’s post. feel free to jot down some of your own little joys and sorrows in the comments as your self-reflection practice for the month if you feel comfortable.

i’ll be back again on friday for paid subscribers for the extra post this week. i’m putting together some in-depth journal prompts that i hope you’ll love. consider upgrading your subscription to gain access to that and much more <3