THE LOVE LIST

I recently stumbled across a document I wrote around 2 years ago, which I affectionately call my Love List. It is a list about all the things in life that I love to do, that bring me joy, that make me smile, that cause my heart to sing and that basically just make my day a happier one.

I wrote this list at the time that I was starting this blog as I was on a journey of exploring ways to bring more happiness in to my life. Rather than thinking about what I could get rid of from my life that I no longer liked or wanted, I instead thought, what can I add more of to my life to make it even better? The result, was my Love List.

This list is more than 5 pages long and lives in my beautiful A4 pink journal filled with pages of gorgeous recycled paper. I only write in this journal using grey lead pencil, and every word that gets printed in it is filled with beauty and love.  I love the journal, and writing in it is actually pastime that features on my Love List.

Looking back over the list now, I sadly realised that I have not been dedicating much time to any of my little loves lately. Instead life has been dominated by to do's, errands and obligations. Finding this list was a much needed wake up call to jump off the treadmill of life and start simply enjoying it.

Reviewing this list has helped me reconnect with the principle of life being a journey, not a destination. It has helped remind me that life is to be enjoyed, revelled in, savoured and experienced fully. This is about finding what YOU love, not following what other people love. It is about delving in to your little heart and listening to what it calls you to do. It is about loving yourself enough, that you would prioritise actions on your Love List, just like you would tasks on a to do list.

The items on your list can be as small or as big as you like. I often find it is the small, simple things that bring us that natural bubbly feeling of happiness. Often it is also just about taking a moment to appreciate those little things that may otherwise just pass you by.

My Love List
I want to give you a snippet of some of the items that feature on my Love List, as it will hopefully birth some inspiration in you to do the same.

Here are some of the highlights;

• A long run outdoors as the sun is rising
• Reading my favourite book in bed
• Shopping for food in health food stores (I love how they smell!)
• Reading beautiful blogs such as this, this and this 
• Random clothing creations, hand made on my sewing machine
• Organic mangoes and medjool dates
• Anything by candle light
• Random acts of kindness
• Waking up early before the sun and the birds
• Beach side holidays in the summertime
• Post-exercise buzz
• Reading the thoughts of inspirational people such as this, this and this
• Long, hot baths
• Blue, cloudless skies
• Beautiful conversations with friends
• Writing on this blog and receiving heart-warming comments from my readers
• Drinking loose leaf herbal tea out of china cups
• Words of inspiration from here and here
• Warm sunny weekends filled with market strolls and cafe breakfasts
• The feeling of Savasana pose after a long yoga class
• The smell of fresh coffee brewing
• Freestyle painting on canvas
• Attending inspiring events (such as this one) filled with amazing like-minded people
• Perusing second hand book stores
• Fresh flowers in glass vases
• Kisses with the one I love
• The Bronte to Bondi coastline
• Inspirational journeys of natural healing like this and this
• Making freshly pressed organic vegetable juice
• Sunsets of any description

It is easy to underestimate the power of these beautiful little joys. But isn't this what life is really about!

I encourage you to create your own Love List and review it daily. Revolve your day around it. Prioritise time to delve deeply in to the things in life that bring you joy.

xxx