Breakfast Chats: Making A Creative Life + A Recipe Link
Simple life things
“Breakfast Chats” is a lighter series, where I share short musings and conversational tidbits about life things. It’s a regular, monthly feature that I’ve made open for access, through the year of 2024, to all subscribers, both free and paid.
It’s been getting chilly here in Sydney, and just in case anyone doesn’t know, the weather here in Australia is completely the opposite of the rest of the world because we’re in the Southern Hemisphere and it’s the end of autumn here right now. I’m sitting all cosy on my couch, as I write this, with a coffee by my side, starting fresh on this month’s issue of Breakfast Chats. I think this is one of my most favorite spots in the house to write this, because I think I’ve started writing a lot of my issues from here. Anyway, the sky is overcast outside and I think it’s going to rain soon. I have some tidbits to catch you up on, so let’s get started.
1. Living A Creative Life
It’s been a light week for me after a very long time; I’ve just been taking it easy with everything. And during these past few days, I’ve found myself thinking up new ideas for work, planning some personal things, dreaming dreams.
The other day I got ready and was making chai in the kitchen when Nabeel saw me and said you look really nice. And you know what, I’d looked at myself in the mirror just a few minutes before that, and I’d thought the same, “I like my look today”. I’d been wearing the same clothes as always, hair pretty much the same too, but because things hadn’t been back-to-back, I’d mixed a couple of lipcolors I don’t wear too often, and just gotten ready feeling more at ease mentally.
And even though it still wasn’t anything too different, I think doing anything with a free-er mental space, is what makes you experiment with ordinary things in life. When your whole system is at ease, it’s when you start to create.
And it made me think how important it is to have a creative life.
I think creativity can often get equated to something that only belongs to artists, but I think that happens because much of our modern life is viewed mostly through a capitalistic lens where ideas and things hold societal value only when they can promise commercial viability.
But a creative life belongs to all of us.
And I think it’s when we have that breathing space in our schedules, is when we’re able to sketch out creative moments in our day and nurture the artist that rests within all of us.
And I truly feel that there is artistry to be found in our average daily lives and it’s something that excludes no one. From the 9-to-5 officer goer, to the homemaker, to the student, to the retired. And while we may think it’s something complex and time-consuming, it’s really just having the space to reimagine what you’d already be doing.
Creativity is nothing but saying simple things like, this week I’m going to try a new recipe and cook something different for myself or my family. Or, why don’t I mix up things in my closet and wear this shirt with those pants that I haven’t tried before. Creativity is coming up with a fresh idea at work. To ask different questions at the same dinner table. To give a new compliment to someone you love.
And I’ve come to understand this more and more, that we’re inspired to be creative around our everyday things, when we have that breathing space in our routines and freedom with our time. Busy phases come and go, they happen to everyone, but for the general flow of life, it’s so important to not overpack our routines even when we feel we can, to socialise with moderation, to pack up work that can be put off till tomorrow. A very busy life definitely gets things done, but when we lose room for creativity, is when we also slowly lose that spark and that imagination that makes average, everyday life bright & hopeful.
So, I’m really enjoying this lighter schedule. My mind feels fresh and rested, I feel like I’m sketching new dreams on paper, we cooked something different today and life definitely feels creative ☼
2. The Charm of The Boring Days
Our place has been such a mess this week. A little downside to taking it easy on your routines is that sometimes things can also pile up. But physical messes can always be cleared, it’s always worth it to unclutter your mind first.
Nabeel and I are thinking to clean up a little on Saturday so I’m looking forward to that. And we have lots of chores to take care of too, like groceries, meal prepping, posting mail, so it’s going to be a weekend of dating with chores for us.
I really enjoy such days because I know that they may sound very dull on paper, but I think these are the days when you get to connect on simple things. You get to enjoy little breaks that you take between your tasks. And you get to put your life into shape and put things back into order for a good, healthy week in the coming days.
3. A WhatsApp Message I Loved
Last night, my friend forwarded me this really lovely quote on Whatsapp and I wanted to share it with you guys. It’s from this parenting book called The Parents Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents.
So the quote goes:
“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.”
Nice, right? I don’t know about the book, I just read this quote and loved it, but I did look it up and it has a good rating, in case you want to check it out.
4. A New Favorite Recipe
I recently tried this Turkish Eggs recipe for breakfast and it instantly became one of my favorites. In case you haven’t tried them before, it’s fried eggs, served over garlicky yoghurt, topped with chilli oil and with a side of toasted bread. It turned out so great, restaurant level stuff.
Linking it for you here, if you try it, send me a picture ☼
5. Friday Night Plans
Today’s Friday plans are that we’re going to wrap up work, have dinner and then head for coffee to a friend’s place. I have plans to raid her closet because I need an outfit for a brand post and I felt like wearing something different from what I own. So it’s going to be an evening of some clothes shopping from my friend’s closet, some coffee and conversation. I hope you have a lovely weekend ahead and if not, all my love to you, things do get better.
That’s pretty much it for our breakfast chat. I will see you soon ☼
If you enjoyed this post, it would be lovely if you could ‘like’ it by clicking the heart icon at the end of the post. Because ‘A Slow Afternoon’ is a no-comment space by choice, to keep your reading free of instant reactions, this is one of the few ways I get public appreciation for my work. You can let me know your thoughts later by sending me a message at @shehzeen.r or drop me a note at thedesiwonderwoman@gmail.com.
Music Credit: The music in my voiceover background is ‘Milky’ by Ninn Tendo.