SMALL PLEASURES

Have you noticed that we are always waiting for 'big moments' to enjoy life?

The fantastic holiday we've been planning. The particular party so we can wear that beautiful dress we bought six months ago.

We wait for the important guest to set the table with the expensive and luxurious china… We also wait for the 'right' person who will change our lives and take us on an adventure.

Not even mention that better job, promotion or whatever it is we've been waiting for so we can finally start enjoying life.

What if we didn't need those big moments to enjoy life or be happy? What if the essence of life's enjoyments and happiness relies on the everyday small pleasures?

I am not saying that we shouldn't be looking forward to that incredible trip or putting more effort on special occasions. I am saying that all these ideas of enjoyment usually are in the future, a place we are always expecting to reach. By doing so, we end up forgetting about the present with all those little moments of joy that we are too busy to pay attention to.

One of my favourites films (and the inspiration for this collection) is Amélie Poulain. The whole movie is a masterpiece, but I just love the idea of Amélie "…cultivating a particular taste for the small pleasures: putting her hand in a bag of seeds; piercing the crust of crème brûlée with a tip of spoon; skipping stones across the St. Martin canal." It is all so simple, so trivial and still joyful.

I must say that being present and paying attention to all these little life details is not an easy task - at least not for me. It is something we must give priority to and be aware of. It is a choice we make. A choice of being present and appreciating all those unplanned, unexpected moments that make us smile.

So let's make this choice? Let's set the table with the beautiful tableware and flowers for any Saturday lunch - or Monday or Tuesday. Let's put our phone away while walking to the tube station, so we can pay attention to the bird, to the flowers or even just enjoy a bit of quiet moment with ourselves. Let's enjoy the small daily pleasures that are around us.

Having this thought in mind, I decided to create the collection Everyday Small Pleasures, which is an ode to the simplicity and ordinary pleasures of life.

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Joana