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The petite details. Those details that are easy to miss if we move through our days and lives too quickly. 

With the month of May's arrival tomorrow, that means TSLL's Annual British Week will kick off soon (always the third full week in May), and one post that will be shared is how choosing to use a teacup & saucer can indirectly help us to become helpfully habituated to slowing down, being still and savoring (thank you to TSLL member Cannon for being the inspiration for this aha). 

The more we begin to engage in this practice regularly, we often come to find that not only does it feel good to give ourselves time to catch our breath, but it is good for us. We then begin to value and regularly carve out moments to slow our pace from time to time, and before we know it, we have slowed the entire pace of our lives. Our life then becomes even more enjoyable and amazing than we could have ever imagined. 

And it all began with choosing to use a teacup & saucer, for the purposes of our example today. 

The intricately painted butterfly on this new-to-my-collection teacup seen in the photo above (a gift from a long-time TSLL reader who knows me all too well ☺️🦋🫖 - Thank you Dani!) might almost be overlooked and unappreciated until we remember - rarely are porcelain teacups painted inside the cup, and if so, rarely with just one, not a pair to match of any detail chosen. In other words, when I see this butterfly, I know this teacup was chosen by someone who knows me, and my gratitude strengthens each time I use it. 

Any practice that strengthens skills of mindfulness - from gratitude to awareness, to responding instead of reacting, to slowing our pace - is a practice to do our best to welcome more regularly into our daily lives. After all, it is through repetition and conscious consistency that we begin to see the change we seek out (learn more about how tiny habit changes can bring about the grand outcomes we seek in this post/episode).

The act of living more consciously, living with intention even in our small habits and choices, while if a new approach, takes more forethought initially, but with time, this approach will bring about a deepening of a quality of life more enriching than we ever thought possible. 

Now, let's get to this month's newsletter which is full of French-inspired content, multiple Motivational posts, and so much more. Thank you for subscribing, and until Saturday May 31st, I will see you on the blog.  

Bonne journée,

—Shannon