Garance Galore

Hi there:)!

I hope you are well!

2023 is slowly coming to an end and I hope that this past year was as wonderful for you as it was for me. But even if this is not the case, I am sure that you can think of a few good things that happened to you, no matter how small!

Today’s post is all about positivity; I want to share with you a non-exhaustive list of things that brought me joy in 2023.

Having a gratitude list

This year, I decided to create a list of all of the random things that brought me joy in the Notes app of my iPhone. I wrote about every little thing I was happy about (a new song I couldn’t stop listening to, a movie that made me feel happy, an inspiring quote, a beautiful landscape, a special moment, a book I enjoyed, a sweet conversation I had, etc.). I just decided to keep track of the seemingly small things that made my life brighter. And whenever I am feeling under the weather, I love to look back at it and take a moment to feel grateful for the tiny highlights of my life. You could do it on a notebook as well, but I personally love the convenience of the Notes app. When I have little to no time, it’s nice to just take a picture, add it to the list, and move on with my day. If you do start your own gratitude list, let me know how you like it!

Growing my hair 

I cut my hair VERY short more than a year ago because it was severely damaged. I also wanted some change and, to be honest, a new start. It was fine for a little while, but I honestly missed my hair so much because my big 3C hair was such an important part of my look and confidence. Although I loved the short look in the beginning because it felt lighter and new – I was counting the days until I could finally tie a bun, and if you are familiar with the hair growth journey, you know how long it feels! My hair was also such a big part of my femininity (although short hair looks super feminine on some women!), and my looks were just incomplete without my main accessory. But a little bit more than 12 months later, I finally feel like they are slowly coming back to what they were. And because I was so desperately waiting for them to grow again, I began experimenting with many different hairstyles. When my hair was longer, I honestly couldn’t care less about exploring options, but not having it made me realize that it is such an easy way to look more put-together and to just have fun with it. So, yes, this year seeing my hair grow brought me SO MUCH joy!

Watching Recess

If you are a late 90’s kid who was obsessed with Disney Channel, you should know Recess. For those not familiar with it, Recess is basically a cartoon about a group of friends’ adventures at school during recess. I used to love this show as a kid, and I still love it as an adult! I decided to sign up for a Disney+ 1-month free trial and had all my childhood memories unlocked when I watched the first episode. To answer your next question, of course I binge-watched it! There is nothing like the joy of watching your favorite childhood’s shows—it always makes me feel so happy!

Engaging in new hobbies

I used to be the kind of person who had no hobby. I thought there was nothing for me out there that I was really passionate about, until I met A (my other half)!  He made me realize that I am a creative and passionate person who spends more time dreaming about things she’d love to do rather than just doing them! But only this year did I randomly start knitting on my own and create this blog. He reminded me that I’ll never be good at it if I don’t start one day. Now it just makes sense, but at the time, it was a mind-blowing revelation. So, no matter what it is that you have always wanted to do, do it! I personally loved spending more time on my hobbies this year.

Waking up earlier

I know you must hear this all the time, but what I am talking about here is not to wake up at 5 a.m. every morning to be ‘productive’ and meditate for 30 minutes (even though there is nothing wrong with that). What I am referring to here is waking up just 30 minutes to an hour earlier than usual to take the time to have a nutritious breakfast and do something I love like knitting, blogging, stretching, or even just to take the time to try out a new hairstyle or make-up. I am not doing this every single day, but it definitely became more of a habit this year, and it completely changed the way my days went. I felt like, on most days, no matter how busy I was, I had the opportunity to actually enjoy and have some time for myself.

Spending time with my other half

Last but definitely not least, making time to enjoy life with A has definitely been the thing that brought me the greatest amount of joy this past year(s)! I just love going out, traveling, and simply chilling with him. 2023 has been really hard on us since we are both studying and working, but one thing is for sure: it did not stop us from making the sweetest memories. Life is never easy, but knowing who I am coming back to at the end of the day surely makes it easier!

I hope that reading this makes you reflect on the things that brought you joy this year. Surely, the past twelve months were not only fun memories, but I decided to focus on the positive and start this coming year on a good note!

 I’ll see you very soon in another post!

Garance xx