12 Things That Are Joyous To Focus On Right Now
It may be bleak but there's still joy to root ourselves in somewhere. I promise.
A brief mid week note to say hello and share a gentle prompt to remember what is in fact joyous in the world right now.
After reading
‘s work for many years, i’ve had her words in my brain as of late. We really aren’t designed to consume such volumes of media every single day, even if they’re pleasant and kind. So when the media we are consuming or even privy too in our peripheral vision is loud and angry and monstrous, it’s damaging in ways we as a collective don’t even realise. It’s become so normalised, that we fall into an almost complacent daze knowing that things are broken and bad but we have to at the same time, put one foot in front of the other.I learnt this week that it’s called hyper normalisation.
The acceptance and normalisation of distorted or simplified versions of reality by individuals and society at large.
That even despite our best efforts our knowledge that the system is broken, we accept that we live within a system that is distorted beyond any semblance of ‘normality’.
Which in itself, is a stark realisation.
So for a brief moment of pause, here’s 12 things that we can root ourselves into and extract the joy one day at a time. There’s enough to go around, so lets focus on the moments of connection that we can all sink into.
The Traitors
Not only is it great TV, but bucks the trend of giving you every single morsel of information about each character at the start of the series in an attempt to ‘force’ you to care. Instead (and my favourite style of reality TV), you learn about the characters as merely players in the game, only being drip fed their stories in moments where it makes sense to the narrative of the show. Tremendous.
The sun will set at 5pm on the 7th February
Many of us who struggle with the dark nights and even darker mornings will be pleased to know that we are in the homeward stretch. According to the website Time And Date (seems legit) the sun will set at 5pm on the 7th February in the UK. That’s pretty nice isn’t it.
Angel Delight still exists
Somewhat thought of as a relic, you’ll be pleased to know that Angel Delight still exists and can be purchased at your leisure, whenever you desire. With many of its friends (Woolworths, Wilkos, Freddo, evaporated milk) disappearing or having bizarre rebrands, Angel Delight stands firm in its simplicity and deliciousness. Thank God.
It’s awards season
What’s Moira Roses’ favourite season? Awards.
With Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott announced today as the hosts for the Oscars Nomination Announcement on the 23rd January, it surely sets the scene for the campest awards season yet. Taking us up until March, Awards Season is a sure fire way to find joy - just make sure it’s not at the expense of poorly dressed people. That’s rude. Even if sometimes they are an easy target.
Financial justice for LGBTQ+ veterans
LGBTQ+ veterans in the UK will receive up to £70,000 in remunerations after the Government announced a £75 million package of funds to acknowledge the ‘historic wrongs’ LGBTQ+ faced during their time in the armed forces. That’s nice isn’t it, even if money can’t solve societal wrongs, it’s a helpful note for those who may need to process the hateful world they once lived in.
Josh O’Connor & Paul Mescal will be gay together this year (in a film)
A gay film, set during the war, with high waisted trousers and flat caps? Sign me up. Josh O’Connor (Challengers, Gods Own Country) and Paul Mescal (Gladiator II, Aftersun) are set to star in The History Of Sound, set to premiere later this year. Set during World War I the film follows the pair who set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American compatriots who travelled to Europe to fight in the conflict.
The X Factor isn’t on anymore
I used to love it - of course I did, we all did. But isn’t it joyous to breathe a sigh of relief that The X Factor does in fact no longer have The X Factor? We no longer have to spend our lives publicly flogging people for not being able to hold a note. Now we just need to get Britain’s Got Talent off the tellybox and we’ll have completed our/my orchestrated take down of Simon Cowell.
Creme Eggs are back in the shops
You can go and get yourself a creme egg after a long day again. Or even after a short day. Just basically after any length of time in your day you can now walk into the corner shop and get a creme egg and then eat it within 15 seconds. That’s great news isn’t it.
The White Lotus is coming in a few weeks
Whether you’re watching across the pond or her in the UK, we’ll all be able to check into The White Lotus in a mere few weeks as Mike White has lined up another rotation of guests to most likely collapse and die before they even step foot at the all you can eat buffet breakfast. Starring Aimee Lou Wood, Natasha Rothwell and Parker Posey, I for one am counting down the days.
You can have pudding for dinner if you want.
Yeah look some of these might be getting a bit weird but this one is just a fact of life. You, at any age or moment in your time on this planet can decide that you’re going to have a trifle for dinner, and no one can stop you. If you want to do this everyday, go for it. Not sure i’d be able to handle a sponge finger 7 days a week but what do I know? Trust me, this will bring joy to a miserable day.
Murmuration
It’s that time of year where the birds take what they’ve learnt from watching synchronised swimming on YouTube and instead do it in the sky. So if you can, take a look out the window and see the birds giving it their all. As Beyonce once sang, 'Okay ladies now lets get in formation’ which obviously was about murmuration.
Even if it’s hard, you can decide who you want to be today.
Always good to end on a soppy one. Even if it feels bleak, or hard, or impossible right now, you can decide each day to be the person you want to be. Even if that’s not feeling peer pressured into talking about the weather, or not watching The Traitors because you don’t actually like it. Whatever it is, you can choose, big or small, to be the person you want the world to see, and fundamentally who you want to see when you look in the mirror. That’s pretty cool isn’t it.
See you later in the week for the first Solo Trip newsletter of 2025.
Love and light x