This spring season has felt so vibrant and sweet, inspiring me to be present and pay attention to all its good energy ✨. Spring also hits different when you’ve been through about 5 months of winter in Sweden. I noticed as the trees outside my apartment started sprouting until they were filled with leaves and surrounded by blooming flowers. Everything felt alive again — I felt alive and grateful to be witnessing a new season. I love spring for all its reminders and the way it makes me feel.
I recently had a moment that inspired me to take note of some simple pleasures. While working on my laptop one night, I started craving a bowl of cereal and realized that I had skipped dinner. I considered if I should make one since it was around 9 pm and I had snacked earlier on, so I wasn’t as hungry. I let the craving go, but it came back slowly. Following the feeling, I thought about why I liked cereal so much and what it reminded me of — picturing a younger me who also loved it. I then felt a gentle pull to note other similar pleasures.
I like making lists and I hadn’t made one like this — I have one for noticing things that spark joy, which is different from this one but also similar. This one particularly stirs up feelings of nostalgia, memories of home, seeing my inner child and familiar rituals that were also markers of time.
A bowl of Kellogg’s cereal
Buying seasonal fruits from an outdoor shop
Making plantains
The smell of a garden/home after it rains, and the snails that appear afterwards
Listening to the top music charts on the radio
Bread and eggs on a Sunday
Flipping through old cookbooks
A fresh warm loaf of bread
Peeling an orange with a knife
A cup of black tea with milk
What are your simple pleasures and senses of home?
Looking through my list, I notice that there is food, nature and music. There is also taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch. I notice that these are reminders of home wherever I may be, and portals1 to a sense of home. These are things that feel special, no matter how mundane.
I didn’t have any cereal that night, but I had a sweet bowl the very next morning.
It’s summer in Stockholm now, and there are fruit stalls outside. I’ve stopped by a few, smiling as I buy myself a small bag of fruits.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please comment, share whatever resonates and subscribe to receive future letters from me 👋🏾
As I noted these senses of home, I also remembered experiencing
’s deeply moving exhibition — A Home is a Portal, in May.
That list idea is so genius. I'm a sucker for anything that reminds me of childhood, home, and memories. I should make mine!
PS: Funmi, your newsletter looks like that special corner in one's home. The pictures, the concept, the content--all look great.🤎
Loved this and reading your list especially. I will make mine!