Happiness is…

Zara cardigan
Maison Labiche tee (similar)
Sezane skirt (similar)
Yves Saint-Laurent heels
Sezane bag
Celine sunglasses
Happiness Boutique necklace (c/o)
Happiness Boutique ring (c/o)
Keltie Leanne Designs ring (c/o)
Keltie Leanne Designs ring (c/o)

…sometimes as simple as a new piece of jewellery.

When I was a teenager, I kept a journal and, in that journal, I wrote a running list of things that made me happy. I suppose, in retrospect, the list was an early equivalent of a gratitude journal, although I never thought of it that way. The list included some truly silly entries, including Chewing gum in the shower and Hugging warm sheets when they come out of the dryer. (I can confirm that I was as unusual in my teen years as I am now, just in case anyone wondered.)

The thing is, happiness is complex. No one can sum it up in anything so small and shallow as a single sentence. It does not just come from within. We cannot just wake up and decide to be happy. And sometimes, the little things, like the ones from my list, just aren’t enough. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or selling something, which is often tantamount to the same thing.

I have happiness on my mind for two reasons. The first is simple; the ring and earrings I’m wearing in these photos come from the lovely Happiness Boutique. The second is more complex. Today is the last day of my second last week away from work. I have spent five blissful months out of office and I am, admittedly, apprehensive about my return. Just yesterday, I found myself musing that I wish our life in Paris, which is free and unscheduled, full of long walks and unplanned day trips and impulsive visits to the local pastry shop, were real. Part of me knows that I love Paris because I’ve never worked while living there and that what I love, perhaps more than the city itself, is the independence it offers. In some ways, I feel like I will sacrifice that independence when I go back to work.

And so I’m looking at happiness a little differently right now. It’s not realistic to expect that I will wake up every morning thrilled to start my work day – I mean, does anyone? But I can focus on small positives when the big picture isn’t rosy, like new jewellery or treating myself to a manicure or indulging in a glass of wine at the end of the day. The little things aren’t everything, but they are meaningful and on an average Tuesday, they can be just what you need to push through.

Most of you continued to work for these past five months while I gallivanted all over the world. And so I’m curious; on a regular day, the kind that is rife with silly frustrations, what does happiness look like for you?