Grounded by the Little Things
In efforts to encourage the let’s-all be-happy-and-ignore-the-chaos-for-a-little-bit ways, this’ll be short and sweet.
Less of something that stirs us into action, more of something that gets us to pause and soak in the little things that are keeping us going. Things that are real and tangible as opposed to hypothetical and big picture that feel too out of our control.
So I’d like to share an artist named Amanda Oleander with y’all. With a focus on authenticity and capturing life’s moments, she creates a new drawing everyday inspired by an old or recent memory or current event. If you follow her on Instagram, each release always comes with a personal explanation. But I’ll stand by my statement that the drawings themselves speak louder than any words.
I’ve bought a few over time and every morning when I see them, they get me to pause and ground me. They’re simple moments, maybe even mundane (cooking, making cookies, sitting with your parents, etc). And the best way I’ll describe what I feel looking at (and what I hope you feel when you’re having these little moments) almost all of these pieces is the Danish word hygge (hue-guh). “Just acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or special.”
All that to say, we’re living in a world where things are being cancelled left and right, the weeks are rough and we’re fixating on all that’s out of control. It’s hard to feel happy. So I’d like to encourage you to take a second to think about the minute you’re going to have today with a significant other or kiddo or friend or parent or yourself, the time you’re going to spend reading your favorite book or enjoying the weather or cooking a delicious meal. Let it ground you, let it feel special. Then wholeheartedly soak it in.