Atomic Pleasures
Learning to smell, keeping momentum, and the colour of January
Dear reader,
Happy New Year!
January has always been cherry red to me - kind of seductive in its promise of a fresh start. And with each January that finds its way to me, I like it more and more. There’s something heavy about the start of a new year, and with it, the acceptance of growing older. But each year I feel less lost, more capable. Less malleable, and more patient. Less fragile, more sure of myself and my choices.
Every rock bottom moment turns into a new ceiling I inevitably break, and suddenly the world gets even bigger than I thought it was. This is the year I turn 25, and apparently it’s also when my cerebral cortex develops fully. After the madness of the last four years, I welcome it fully.
2024 has already brought with it so much gentle strength and interesting new hobbies. Four days in, I discovered GoodNotes - a powerful annotation and note taking app available for the iPad and have now started building custom digital planners for my fellow planning-obsessed friends and family. Making to-do lists have never felt more exciting (and it’s when I say things like this that I know I’m really an adult now).
Perhaps it’s the power of this new start, my sister gifting me the aforementioned iPad, or just the fact that it’s been a very full house this past month - but I’m floating in endless gratitude recently. Honestly, there’s not much to report this week apart from that.
The thing about the New Year is that its hopes can feel so daunting, and momentum can be a tricky thing to pin down: but if you look back, you realise all you had to do was take it one step at a time. James Clear talks about atomic habits, and I like to look at the other side of the coin as atomic pleasures. The most miniscule way to feel good - is to take a minute to appreciate things as they are.
There are so many experiences I get to have that my ancestors haven’t - I get to teach my grandma about WhatsApp stickers, my mom gets to teach my sister industrial level food canning, I get to choose silly things like the scent my dog wears after a shower. I get to paint people’s favourite memories for a living, and I get to stay in touch with excellent people all over the world without leaving my bed.
My favourite way to do that recently is via the app Locket - a widget on your phone that updates itself with your friends’ statuses. They’re usually little pictures and a short note, and it feels so easy to keep in touch with the people you love without the pressure of taking time out for a conversation. (Sounds super Gen Z, I’m aware - but life keeps happening and most of my favourite folks are on the other side of the planet.)
On the other hand, there’s so many things I’m experiencing that I never have before - like my breath getting stronger. Four months into treatment and I have a sense of smell - which is absolutely wondrous to discover. Twenty four years on the planet and I had no idea that the air has had flavours this whole time! Food tastes better, my memory is sharper, and I no longer have to worry about being potentially unaware of a gas leak.
I’ve never felt so much like those children on YouTube who get hearing aids for the first time, but I guess life is always better when you choose to look at it like a kid.
Wishing you little moments of joy,
Kaav.
Such a pleasure reading this... and it's not atomic. 😉