“I Simply Remember My Favourite Things…”

“…and then I don’t feeeeel….so baaaaad!”

Who doesn’t like to don their inner Maria and break into song every now and then? I certainly do. In fact, I remember often singing this particular song in the playground during lunch time at primary school when my friends were on a different sitting to me. Being the master of make believe, I would waltz and weave around the play equipment in my own little world, convincing myself that I had all the elegance and grace of Fräulein Maria and probably freaking out all the other kids on the playground at the same time.

This blog post, though, is not going to be a list of the odd things I got up to as a child nor will it be a review of the Sound of Music (…shame). Instead, I’m going to discuss a few of my favourite things (did you get the link?).

There are some days when I just feel bleugh. You know that feeling, right? My head can get so clouded with messy, unhelpful thoughts which I struggle to shake off, wondering whether there will be ANYTHING good to come out of that day, or week, or even month.

As people, we are made for joy. Happiness can come and go, but real joy is knowing Who we are made by and what we are made for. And out of this foundational joy, we can enjoy and get so much more out of life.

Sometimes, we just have to stop and smell the roses. Sometimes it’s the little things that make us happy in life which can turn our day from being a bit miserable to helping us understand how amazing it is that our lives are founded in Love and Joy.

So I have made a list of things that are actually kind of mundane but which give me a little pep in my step and make me go ‘squeeee!’:

– The whirl in my coffee as the milk splashes into the deep dark depths of my lovely jubbly brew. Sometimes I don’t stir the milk in, I just let it take its time to swim around and make patterns in my mug.

– The ‘schmpoh’ sound that the lid of a jar makes when it’s first opened. So simple yet so satisfying. ‘SCHMPOH!’

– The first deep breath after a hardcore, all guns blazing cry. Okay, you may still be a bit emotional, you’re probably a bit snotty and hair may be stuck to your face but I find that when I let it all out and refill my lungs, it feels as though I’m topping up my mojo. I am rewarding my body with the precious oxygen that it’s been lacking in the last five minutes of hyperventilating.

– Getting really sweaty and then having a shower. See? These really are little things. I mean we all shower, right? But it feels so great to get clean and wash away the dirt, sweat and grime of a long day or a gruelling workout, then walking out the bathroom feeling all shiny and new.

– Cooking. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Clearly it’s mine seeing as I bang on about food in most of my blog posts. But even just making scrambled eggs makes me happy. I love going through the motions of choosing and preparing my ingredients, plopping them in a pan or in the oven, giving it a stir here and there and smelling the aroma of my creation. Taking time over our food is not really advocated in our day and age. It’s all about convenience and speed. But I say take the time and enjoy being creative!

– So these are just 5 of my favourite things. They’re not life changing, they’re not even that interesting, but they help give me a little boost when I’m feeling a bit pants. I really encourage you to make a list of things that make you happy in day to day life. Actually taking the time to enjoy the things which we often just aim to ‘get done’ in the day and being aware of how certain things make us feel can help change our mood and mindset.

Simplicity, people! It’s the future!

Feel free to leave a comment sharing what makes you go ‘squeee!’ in your daily life. I’m off to go and make a mug of coffee and maybe open a jar or two.