Before we dive in, a little note: this edition of Le Journal comes from our dear friend and guest writer MK, and it is one to savour slowly, like a madeleine with your morning tea. She writes about the small moments that catch you off guard and make everything feel right. We hope it reminds you to enjoy the little things — whatever yours happen to be.
On Learning to Enjoy the Little Things
Dear Reader
Do you know that feeling when you suddenly get a moment to stand still? When you’ve been going 100 miles per hour hitting your targets, goals and living your daily life fully.
It’s that moment when you can flop down onto the couch after doing a last pile of laundry…when you get time off from your consuming office job… when you’ve dealt with a heart break and things suddenly seem better…
Promise, I am not here to lead any of us into a meditation (I have yet to master sitting still for this) but what I would like to reflect on – with you – is how much the little things matter.
We’ve been told for a long time to ‘stop and smell the coffee, the flowers, fresh air, place a palm on your heart centre’ to find our balance and re ground ourselves, which I think most of us remember to do sometimes anyway. And coffee for me is a daily ritual, which does make me very happy. It’s the little things we sometimes forget about but when reminded, make us so happy.
I wanted to share you, dear Reader, a few things that have added to my happiness recently.
That phone call
From a friend. It’s a conversation you didn’t know you needed until you were talking, laughing, sharing together. It could be a 10 minute catch up call but means the world to you both. When you hang up you’re smiling for ages (and fuelled with plans for the next in person catch up!). Because, yes, carrying things by ourselves – a hidden heart on an earring feels special - but for the other things, we have our friends. And ‘friendship’, dear Reader, is another post all unto itself.
That hidden meaning
Yes! One of these things would be a new piece of jewellery. Not only do I love this new design but equally the hidden heart detail, adds that ‘je ne sais quoi’ we have also talked about here.
Reading the recent Helene Elisabeth newsletter, a few things said by the enigmatic Helene herself: "it’s to carry something with you yourself, a reminder of love and strength, a moment that matters." That resounds with me on all the levels!
That delicious smell
Besides admiring beautiful things – like nature, art, trinkets, another small happy moment is when a familiar smell hits the olfactory nerves.
It could be the fragrance worn by someone close to you or changing your own seasonal perfume - I change my fragrance seasonally, like accessories.
But nothing beats the smell of fresh home baked goodies. While I am not much of a baker, two of my fail proof recipes are bread, which I make from scratch using my hands (!) not any kind of machine or device and madeleines. In his edict: ‘In Search of Lost Time’, Marcel Proust described biting into a madeleine as such:
“No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me”
Enough said! Here is the recipe I follow to create that madeleine delicious-ness… the smell, the first bite, sometimes I like to dip them in my tea or in melted chocolate!
That weekend trip
Following that phone call with my friend, I was reminded that we need to spend some time together. And so we are off to Biarritz for the weekend, for a bit of pre summer exploration and fun – we will tell you all about in our next newsletter. And on the subject of Biarritz, Hélène Elisabeth Jewellery will also be launching a Biarritz jewellery capsule collection very soon, which we cannot wait to share with you!
My small carry on bag packed with only essentials and valuables safely tucked in my black HE pouch, I am kicking up my heels with excitement before my flight. Always on my wrist Shell bracelet – Helene Elisabeth Jewellery (I have the black band), sporting my new earrings, and I just managed to get an errant pebble out of my espadrille… another little thing!
The Little Things in Life That Make Us Happy
And so it can be any little thing that contributes to your happiness - but I just wanted to remind you to stop and remember what makes you happy - it can be one thing today, but it is a million little things that make this life a happy one.
2 comments
@Lucie – Thank you! There’s nothing quite like homemade cakes.
Such a lovely read, thank you Hélène. You made me want to bake madeleines more often. The BBC Food recipe is great! xx