»That list«

I have been writing a lot of lists lately; not only when I go grocery shopping, but mostly when I’m at home alone and have some time to myself and to clean out a drawer or two. That’s how my lists are made – they help me take a closer look at people and relationships, but most often at myself, because as soon as you pour your thoughts on paper, they become more real and you can finally start seeing them as such. As I was reading my favourite magazine recently, which has a lot of space to write down your thoughts and feelings, I stopped at a list of things that make me happy. The instructions were clear: write down 100 things that make sure we’re happy. Now a 100 seemed like an unbelievably high number, so I started wondering how I was even going to reach it, before I even started writing. It wasn’t that difficult in the end. The thoughts came rushing in, the list kept growing and I finally reached the hundred mark.

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I suppose writing about nice things is quite hard. If you keep a diary of your own, or have an agenda, where you write your thoughts, you probably agree that we can write the things we don’t like rather quickly, but not as easily the positive and beautiful ones. This mostly happens because we take the beautiful for granted, just like many things in life: friendship, love, happy relationships with people. Many times we don’t even realise that we have to put some effort in achieving the good; it seems that good things happen on their own. This makes it even more interesting, how long we can spend focusing on the bad, and not even notice the good. The list of good things and the ones I’m grateful for was a challenge in a way, but it also made me realise how much good there is all around me. A moment to stop and simply think: Thank you.

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I enjoy the sound of a pen running over a sheet of paper and I like the way I sometimes write quickly, other times slowly, how my handwriting never looks the same, completely unique just like any other handwriting. I like the dark blue ink and the way the pen feels in my hand, as well as the pages of my agenda that are always full of everything. I put a bit of colourful tape here and there, marking the moments that are especially important to me; it always seems like such a waste to forget about them in a couple of years, because I believe that the brain is always making space for the new adventures life brings along, so it’s good to keep a couple of them from disappearing.

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Do you write? Do you compartmentalise things or do you let inspiration flow freely? Does it make it easier to put down all the pluses and minuses, when you’re about to make a difficult decision? Personally, I like order, which is why I like turning thoughts into words, it just makes me feel like I free up some space in my mind for new adventures. And for a different kind of happiness. I suppose I’m happy if I don’t go too far. I will share ten things with you. They’re all simple and very much my own, and I believe they could be really yours as well. And perhaps it’s good to be reminded of them sometimes. And a piece of advice: Try it yourselves.

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• Morning coffee with milk, always from my favourite mug.
• Fresh linens with a small light blue pattern.
• Towels in a set, always and everywhere.
• Scented candles (vanilla is nr. 1)
• A brand new bar of soap in the bathroom.
• Sofia’s smile and her tiny arms reaching toward me.
• A long kiss outside in the fresh air.
• Eating dinner next to water in a very small restaurant.
• A warm bath with lavender everywhere.
• Red lipstick by Tom Ford: because there is no shade more beautiful.