Pause to smell the cashmere

Now and again I have a bad day, we all do.

We wake up on the wrong side of the bed and it can seem like the world at large is out to mess up our day specifically. Meeting every red light on your morning drive, broken taps, broken mugs, no tea left, the heavens open and you've forgotten your umbrella, you lose your keys, the list is endless and annoying.

I suppose those are the days we should all look back at and smile about because they're small problems aren't they? In the grand scheme of things they're tiny irritations that pass just as quickly as they appear and they are often dealt with simply by stopping to smell the roses and reflecting that this is not the worst thing that could have happened. 

What makes you happy? I've been thinking this question a lot lately; the answers I've come up with have surprised me. Not because they're odd answers but because they're the things that you wouldn't expect people to value sometimes. 

Our family, friends and pets of course rank very highly, so do being healthy and well fed. Rarely will anyone cite money or possessions directly. 

A friend recently said that she enjoys rain on window panes, to be inside and looking out a wet and windy world makes her happy. I love that, the simple pleasure of life and watching the world go by.

We will however sometimes name something we own for the way it makes us feel. For example, My new diary makes me happy, not because its new or because it’s a particularly clever diary but because it’s the most obnoxious shade of Neon yellow I could find, looking at that colour brightens me up immeasurably just for a few moments.

A particularly soft or cosy jumper, a light and perfectly cut summer dress, Shoes that were worn to dance in on a memorable first date. These are not loved because they are things; they are loved because they connect us to memories of things that we do love.

So, does that make me a purveyor of something far grander than clothes? Maybe or maybe not. I do however try to make sure that when I sell something to a customer that I think of all that places that jacket or dress will take her. A new job might be on the cards if that jacket makes her feel more confident or a new dress could make the first time meeting the parents of her partner more bearable.

Maybe the answer to all those days where you feel like the world is against you is to wrap yourself up in your favourite piece of clothing and remember all the reasons it’s your favourite, use those memories like your armour against the feelings of frustration. Pause to smell the cashmere.