If My Life Were a Cottagecore Novel, This Week Would Include…

Take a deep breath and enjoy this little artwork.

A sensory snapshot of quiet moments and simple things.

• A steaming mug of tea cooling beside a stack of books I keep meaning to open.

• The smell of dirt after watering the garden, warm and familiar.

• The breeze on my walk between meetings, tugging me to run barefoot through the grass too.

• Watching sunlight and tree shadows shift in slow-moving time across the floor.

• The pause before getting into my car—hearing birds sing, and letting it settle me.

• A bit of afternoon couch napping, letting peace wrap me up. 

• Listening to live music while holding my husband's hand, reminding myself life is good.
  
  

Lately, I’ve been craving slower rhythms—moments where life doesn’t need to be fixed or figured out, just noticed. This little exercise came from that place. I imagined my week not as a to-do list, but as a scene from a quiet novel. It helped me find beauty in the in-between: the ordinary, the fleeting, the things I’d miss if I didn’t pause.

Feeling a little uninspired or tired too? Try slowing down and jotting down the little things you’ve noticed this week. What sights, sounds, smells, or feelings have stood out? It doesn’t have to be profound—just real. Sometimes that’s more than enough.