Where is the last place you felt warmth? not just physically warm, but even more, that general sense of wellbeing + ease. close your eyes for a moment to recall the place + particulars that last made you feel aglow with a sense of being cozy, comfortable, cared for, known + safe.
do you ever notice the familiar feeling as you step into your favorite store– there’s a candle burning + music fills the space? sometimes it can be found while visiting a place where you feel closest to nature whether or not you have been many times before, there’s connection to something bigger there. you may know the warm feeling i’m speaking of as that greater sense of contentment that comes when you have soup on the stove or something roasting in the oven on a cold winter day at home, while a fire is going in the next room + you’re wrapped up in a good book + a blanket. it may be the simplicity of being near someone you love.
the warmth can be a subtle, sunny mood that comes over you as you sit down to a fresh, clean day at your desk with a cup of tea or coffee in hand. it’s the rejuvenating sense that comes at the start of a new week, or the relief at day’s end as you as you climb into a bed made with crisp, clean sheets. a friday night movie pile of pillows, popcorn + family members all around.
maybe it’s in a tiny flame from a candlelit vessel that dances around the table while you share a meal, or in the sound of a familiar song, or noise at a particular time of day. the ambiance of mirth + camaraderie coming from the big table at a restaurant or a party with friends at home. the warmth of a furry companion that says i love you + i missed you while you were away, + the tightly wrapped hands, arms + legs of a little one who couldn’t wait for you to get back home.
consider this for a moment—we owe it to ourselves + in turn the larger community–our whole world even, to find out what these moments are that bring us to life + why, because every day is not about what we can do to make ourselves happy, it’s about what we can do to help others arrive to that place of peace along with us.
maybe you feel most alive when you catch an early glimpse of spring in the bulbs emerging from the cold ground in winter, or when you take a moment to soak in the pure joy that your dog exudes every time you ask if he/she would like to take a walk. perhaps you know this feeling to be big + loud like an ear-splitting “surprise!!” from your kids when you walk in the door after running errands, or the song you sing loudly in the car with your family or friends. maybe it’s calm + quiet like the babbles of a new baby, or just the sight of your garden plants after a summer rain, the thrill of a bountiful vegetable harvest grown from seeds sown months ago + the happy hum of bumble bees pollinating to their hearts content. —challenge yourself to begin looking for the small things that bring a smile to your face + a song to your heart + then do it every single day. i want to tell you almost certainly, your whole life will start to turn around, one day one moment at a time.
when each of us can live a life that is fulfilling + authentic, we become more able + available to lend a hopeful (+ helpful) hand to others outside of ourselves + i know in my heart the people we share this life with would all be better for it ourselves included.
don’t ask yourself what the world needs. ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
― howard thurman
it seems more important now than ever before, to provide some substance to supplement these lives of ours headed in an otherwise, all-too-hollow direction. now is the time to aim to deepen our lives + discover daily rituals with some worth behind them. like dolly says: “find out who you are [what you do + why you do it], + do it on purpose.
find those moments whether big or small that bring you warmth + do whatever you can to really slow down long enough to notice them as often as they come + watch how it will quickly change your life!
porches + pillowfights 