Hello my loves,

For me, the first week of June was faintly torrid. It rubbed me up against the mediocrity of life far more often than I’m capable of coping with, and frankly, it wore me right down. By last Friday, I was done. My limp little fingers had nothing to say, and I know by now not to force them. And so I focused instead on the weekend to come, and all of the lovely, restorative things I could do in it. And I made another decision too. One that felt deliciously naughty (that’s how I knew it was right). I wasn’t just going to give myself a day to breathe. I was going to take an entire week off. Shut down the emails, put the projects on hold, and go back to basics to get myself right again.

Can I tell you, it has been the best week. Not because I flitted off on some fabulous mini-break, or found exciting new things to titivate me. But because I reached the end of the line, realised it, and pulled the emergency-stop lever. As my to-do list screeched to a halt, in waltzed the small things. Heart-warming catch ups with treasured friends. Cooking, of course. Walking, and resting, and sitting on my balcony, rugged up against the cold and staring at the blue, blue sky. Watching my acrobatic cat cartwheel through the giant conifer in our backyard. Wondering what I might do tomorrow, and relishing the fact that I had absolutely no idea. In short, I’ve done not much at all, and that has been everything.

So often we hold ourselves to life’s big tickets, waiting for the house, or the car, or the job, or the partner, sure in the knowledge that once we get ‘there’, happiness will be ours. But what if happiness is now. What if it’s connection, and simple pleasures, and belly-laughing at inane jokes with a long-standing friend. What if it’s doing something for someone else, just because you can. What if it’s doing something for yourself.

Even though this year feels like it has more momentum than 2020, I do think that a lot of us are still dealing with some big stuff. We might technically have more freedom to move, but so many people I know are being given new and exciting versions of the emotional work they tackled in 2020. Module 2, if you will – the master-class. If this is you, I urge you not to forget the small stuff. Yes, life is about the big lessons. But it’s also about the fabric of tiny, quiet experiences that weaves it all together. If you’re unsheathing your sword and going again on some mastery-level emotional work, don’t forget to give yourself permission to make a few daisy chains along the way, and sink into the experiences that are tiny but mighty.

And so another weekend approaches. It’s delightfully chilly in my part of the world, and that means extensive cosiness is on the cards for me. I plan to be snug as a bug, quite literally wrapped up on my couch in a rug. Reading, resting and potentially meandering through a first attempt at knitting a scarf. So wish me your best knitting-luck! And I in turn wish you a weekend full of tiny, lovely things. Until next week my loves 🧡.

Love, Rachel xxx