Summer hopes

 The sudden deaths of my dear friend's father and my college friend in the past month have been bitter reminders that we are not as invincible as we make ourselves to be. When life gets in the way, it is so easy to assume that the people you talk to everyday are still going to be there to talk to you tomorrow. 

This will not be a post about sadness and sorrows, but one that will remind me to live passionately. 

To date, I have more than three months of summer holidays ahead of me: Time that could easily be spent just brooding around aimlessly at home. But given the recent incidents and the likelihood that this may be my last summer in the UK, I am determined to make it fulfilling and memorable. 

In the previous summer(s) I carried out Project Happiness as a day to day reminder of the little things that can make a difference to my life. This summer I plan to do the same, but perhaps added with something new and/or productive that I've done for the day. The reason for this is that I tend to shy away and resist change, because I always associate it to something shocking and negative. Hence, I constantly find myself attached to mundane, safe and cyclical routines, which I do end up regretting afterwards. If I can do something different for a day, no matter how subtle from my usual routine, then collectively by the end of September I would achieve plenty of new things that I could tick off the bucket list!


So. Here goes:

I usually get tulips whenever I get flowers for the flat, but Sainsburys ran out of decent, lively-looking ones when I was there last. Opted for these gaudy roses instead, and today they are in full bloom and  my room smells divine. Fresh, happy looking flowers make such a difference in perking up a room.


Yesterday I did a thorough clearing of my wardrobe. It doesn't sound like much, but I've been putting this off for possibly a year now. I guess it was just easier for me to accept the pile of mismatched fabric on the closet floor than deal with an explosion of clothes all over my room.

I've made a discovery that I need to stop buying black clothes because I have an entire drawer full of it. I've also discovered that I actually do own a raincoat, after five years of going to battle with umbrellas that don't stand a chance against Brighton's atrocious winds. While sifting through more stuff, I found a few items that belonged to someone who was very dear to me. I had kept it there for three years in attempts to preserve whatever sentimental value that I could desperately hold on to. After moments of reminiscing I packed it away with the other unwanted clothes to give away, knowing that the particular chapter in my life has closed and I have since moved on just fine. Who knew, clearing out the closet could be so therapeutic after all. :)

I'm so happy that I can finally close my closet doors properly.