Reasons To Be Thankful For Winter

Brighton, UK

Reasons To Be Thankful For Winter

Sunday, October 29

confession: i'm a summer baby who loves the winter but hates being cold. and is cold A LOT. like more than the average person. as in, i got christened 'e.t.' in the office because i'd sit there with a blanket wrapped around my head whilst everyone else would be thanking the lord for desk fans, suppressing their need to self combust. 

people say you're either a summer or winter lover. sunshine and shorts or crisp leaves and coats. my mother would vouch for the former. she's a warm weather soul through and through but i, however, would lean more towards the latter (the african half of me screaming internally as i make that admission)

jacket // superdry

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don't get me wrong, i love a little heat as much as the next girl. the moment those sun rays hit your skin, that golden glow illuminating buildings in the early eve. the smiles. oh lord, the smiles. you've never seen london quite so happy than when everyone is stripped down to practically their skivvies and sweating pools all over the tube. there's nothing like dehydration and perspiration to bring a city together.

as humans, we'll always find something to complain about. and as british humans, it's usually the weather. conversation starter or under-the-breath mumble - you don't have to wait long, post wake up, for it to be mentioned.

with that in mind, i wanted to show some love to winter. since usually, the colder seasons bring abundantly more complaints and disdain. there are a lot of things i appreciate in winter, so i figured the interweb (and world) would never be short of some love sharing ...

here are a few of the reasons why i'm thankful winter :

time. call me crazy but there's something about summer that, for lack of better words, *shits* itself away in an instant. in winter, the world seems to move a little slower. we have more minutes to breathe. more moments to take in what's around us. 

comfort. food and fashion. in winter, everything is all the more inviting. coming home, out of the cold to all of the carbs and hearty cooking. going out into the cold, in more layers than probably necessary. richer colours and thicker fabrics. COATS. all of the coats. i've been waiting months, before now, to find the perfect puffer. each purchase, prior to owning this one, passed straight into the grateful hands of my shopping-hating sister. 

social soirees aplenty. invites come rolling in thick and fast. and whilst i'm a homebody who thinks beds are the best thing since sliced bread, there's something about the 'holiday' season which brings a new lease of social life. everything seems that little more special. perhaps because they require more effort to attend. 

crisp mornings. these need no explanation. we all know that feeling. fresh air filling your lungs. the subtle warmth of sun rays kissing your face. dew. for the first times in our lives, we can actually appreciate DEW. because we know we don't have to sit on it like we did as kids ...

hot drinks. umm, hello seasonal specials. it's your time to shine. it's the time where coffee shops bring their a-game and PSL fans can finally spice up their insta pics (get it ? ;)). i'm more of a soya hazelnut hot chocolate fan myself. but tbqh, sometimes the cute cups convince me more than their actual content. 

friends and family. colder seasons seem to bring people closer. even more so as christmas and the new year approach. i long to be around my loved ones. to rekindle old friendships. to connect with those i value.

what things make you thankful winter ?? writing these have made me all warm and fuzzy inside, so i hope they evoke some excitement in you also ...

♡

photography by alix

~ this post was sponsored by superdry, however all opinions, styling and rambles belong to yours truly

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Three Childhood Traits We Should All Practice Today // Timex x Peanuts Collection

Manchester, UK

Three Childhood Traits We Should All Practice Today // Timex x Peanuts Collection

Tuesday, October 17

remember those reminiscent sayings which have graced conversational topics for decades? you know, the ones talking about 'the good old days' and 'childhood nostalgia' where we all just think back to our fave times? times with less stress and more smiles. big dreams and little cares. where the world seemed just that little bit sweeter ... 

certain people or places or programmes take me back to those moments. certain sayings and songs and scents. specific objects. 

this timex watch was one of them. the moment i found out timex had designed a collection with peanuts, that cute, piano theme song started buzzing about in my head (reminisce with me here pls) and i knew i needed one. and i knew exactly which one i wanted.

... for the record, charlie brown came in a close second but for this gal, nothing beats that smiling black and white pup, and i used to carry around a stuffed snoopy toy as a kiddo so y'know ~ loyalty calls.

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i am wearing

watch | timex x peanuts

blazer | loavies (similar here)

jeans | weekday

bag | celine

sunglasses | celine

old skool vans

with that in mind, i got thinking about why we always revert to the past as a 'better time'. what about the past made it superior? what about our childhoods was that much more special and why can't we bring forth those qualities into the present? 

we talk about wishing we were young again but what if it's our outlooks we need to alter? the way we approach life and not how far through it we've gotten. 

there are so many traits about myself as a child, and which we all carried as children, which i still admire now i'm in my ripe twenties (don't ask how i got here 'cause that's a whole other existential crisis). traits which we often took for granted because we were just 'young' and 'didn't know any better' but i realise, looking back, how much i value them in a fellow human (and in myself when they sometimes rear themselves to the surface from deep down under) nowadays. so i wanted to chat about my personal favourite and most highly regarded three ...

one: courage.

remember as a child, everything you'd approach was done fearlessly? you'd try, and you'd fail, and you'd try again. you'd fall down and cry a little but then carry on as if nothing happened ... as though you hadn't taken 90% of the skin off of your kneecap (true story ~ i was an accident prone youth)

whilst i've always struggled in social situations (even pre-anxiety i was practically a mute around strangers), i'd still throw myself into anything and i wouldn't be embarrassed about it. the kids around me would ask questions and approach people and would never be afraid to look silly. 

that kind of determination is valuable. that reluctancy to fail and willingness to continue.

two: forgiveness.

i've spoken about this previously ~ how forgiveness doesn't need to be for the other person, but mainly for yourself. being selfish is sometimes acceptable. 

as children, perhaps through naivety, we would forgive easier, because we had less experience in understanding the effects of people's actions. now that we do, it's more important than ever to try to forgive more. for our own sanity. because harvesting negativity is only going to affect ourselves.

you know that quote about holding onto anger? comparative to drinking poison and expecting it to hurt the other person? well it's not wrong, i tell you (buddha usually isn't though is he)

adulthood is one big, giant stress ball as it is ~ ain't afraid to admit it. i know i'd rather have one less thing on my list to be bitter about ... (hi relationships, council tax and house bills, i'm sorta indirecting you here)

three: open-mindedness. 

when i was younger, nothing was off-limits, failed or impossible and everything was worth my time. 

time ~ that four letter word which brings so much order, yet so much panic with its existence. perhaps we're more aware now that we've got less of it, so we have to be stricter. but shouldn't less time mean we want to experience and learn as much as possible, in as many ways we can before it's too late?

open-mindedness is actually something i've been pretty good at in everyday life, when it comes to others. it's when it comes to myself and my own brain, i struggle. see, as the years have racked up, i've gradually began the downward journey into a worried and bumbling mess (thanks, mom). and let's just say worry + an open mind /= harmony. 

let us all remember why i was so set on getting that cliché 'que sera, sera' tat when i was sixteen. and what it actually means. 

whatever will be, will be. 

see, my teen self might've been basic but at least she's helped out her future self ... and hopefully some of you guys too.

---

as we flash back to 'fresher' times, i felt it only fair to provide more context on baby liv. y'know ... so you can get the full experience from this blog post (and remember my curly, crying face forever)

what childhood traits do you wish you saw more of now you've grown up? and which timex x peanuts character would you choose?

♡

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~ this post was sponsored by TIMEX, however all opinions, styling and rambles belong to yours truly

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