Today was my first day working in a bookshop, so I’m tired and happy and happy and tired.
I never imagined I’d be able to work with books all day. For me it’s less about retail and more about sharing your love of words with someone else. It’s admiring covers and authors and discovering those you haven’t heard of before. It’s inspiring. It’s a beautiful place to work in. And my list of books to read is going to grow massively in the next week alone.
This year hasn’t been anything like I thought it would (have I said that enough?), but days like today remind me how amazing the unknown can be. How lovely the unplanned can be.
I feel more like myself these days. For a good number of months I’ve been out of sorts, not quite right. That’s not to say I was sad all the time, though sometimes I was. It’s more to say I was finding my footing in one thousand new normals and processing a lot of changes in a short space of time.
But now there are less normals to learn and I haven’t been sad in some time.
I’ve finally begun working consistently on my novel and I’ve stopped overwatering my plants. I’m confident with a few new recipes (risotto, casserole, salmon) and I can drive around without a map. I’ve made actual friends which I didn’t know I could do and I’ve bought wine that didn’t taste bad (half a cup for the risotto, the rest to drink while cooking) (KIDDING) (though, yeah, I did have more than normal).
Spring aids this overall feeling of warmth and joy within.
Because of the heat I feel like eating fresh, cool food, so I’ve been having salads and eating simply, which I enjoy (thanks for the salmon inspo, Mum!). The longer days allow me to keep the window open, pulling the light inside, which makes me feel like writing or reading. I spend less time wrapped up in bed and more time in the breeze. This winter has taught me to never underestimate the power of feeling the sun on your skin.
In many blog posts I mention not having the answers.
Again, I still don’t.
But days, weeks, even months like this one, make me feel like I don’t need to know the answers because I’ve already got everything I need.
Sarah xx
the softest words 