Over the years, a handful of things have become reliable sources of joy. Not because they were trendy or because I felt like I should love them, but because they’ve shown up for me again and again in little ways.
This list doesn’t include the people or pets I love. That’s a category all its own and far too important to rank sandals, detergent, or whatever else makes the cut.
Our window bird feeder (better than any television in the house)
My Birkenstock sandals
Allegra allergy meds
Salt lamps
My library (for providing escape in more ways than I can count, mostly through books)
Maldon sea salt (I add a little to my coffee to take away the bitterness)
My favorite pens
Coffee
Edibles: 4:1 CBD/THC (for settling my nervous system and pain relief)
Air conditioning
Our kitchen
Lotion for my feet every single night
Hammocks
My phone (especially for my notes app, music apps, and texting)
My favorite cozy blankets – one is on my sofa, the other is on my bed. (I always need a cozy blanket no matter the season)
Leggings
Journals
Zum patchouli laundry detergent (laundry feels more like a mood than a chore)
My hydroflask water bottles
Migraine preventative medicine (support that makes normal days possible)
Music, always. Here are my current favorite playlists:
Peaceful Retreat (Spotify)
Our family and living rooms (especially during golden hour – where we land at the end of the day)
Golden hour, for me, didn’t start as something I noticed. It arrived around 2020, when life slowed down and I spent more time inside looking out. That was when I began doing soul homework, and something in me started learning how to pay attention differently. Not just to what was happening, but to what was always happening in the background.
I began shifting our furniture around to match the seasons in 2020. I used to just move it because I wasn’t happy with how our home looked. Now I move with intention. Every spring, I turn the couch toward the back of our home so golden hour can be fully appreciated, drunk in. Komorebi is a word I learned over the last six years—Japanese for sunlight filtering through leaves and branches. I take that in on sunny days. Maybe since paying attention to golden hour, we get more of them.
Maybe it’s all in my head, or maybe it’s not. ☀️
I might make a post like this every season, or maybe every year as I get older. It would be fun to look back and see what changes and what sticks around. I’m also curious what things make your life a little nicer. I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
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A Grace Full Life 
perfect!!
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Very zen! XO
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So many good things here! So many overlap with my own sources of joy.
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Would love to see a post like this every season! I tried to make a list like this when I realized that I was starting to dread the coming of summer, but I made it too hard. Should have realized that it’s all the small things that matter most. Yes to Birks and golden hour and libraries and cozy blankets and good pens. I think I should maybe try edibles. I’ve just not known where to start. (I tried some gummies for sleeping a while back, and it was not good. Now I’m hesitant.) And AC. Don’t know how I could tolerate this season without it. (We’re supposed to be mid-90’s today. UGH.) Thanks for helping me see the sunny side of my least-favorite season.
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Birkenstocks are the best. I had an orange pair for a while. I loved them, though they did dye the feet when they got wet.
I think these are wonderful posts. It’s nice seeing what other people value and attend to, and it reminds me to do more valuing and attending.
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