Earlier this summer, we lost someone close to us. At times I felt like I was in a horror film — people can’t just disappear, right? But they can, and they do. What the whole situation taught me is how much everyone you meet is carrying something you know nothing about. So I’ve been on purpose, collecting the small glimmers between the heavier days.
Not grand moments. Just things that made me exhale. Here are five recent pick-me-ups — and I’d love to hear yours.
1. A photo from the classroom
This morning my kid sent me a photo from his teacher desk at school. A bottle of Elmer’s glue is peeking out from the edge, and honestly? It’s one of the most endearing things I’ve seen all week. He took it himself. He thought of me across the whole school day. That’s the kind of small thing you frame without a frame.
2. Proof that tummy time is temporary
This kid was walking around my house the other day, and I could not believe he is the same person who once fell asleep during tummy time. He’s a big boy now. I keep the old photos somewhere, mostly so I remember that the wobbly phase was real and that it, too, is a glimmer worth noticing while it lasts.
3. A date with my niece
I also had a date with one of my neighborhood nieces. We made pasta together (she grated the parmesan like a little champ), played with toys, and then walked over to a neighborhood ice cream shop called 16 Handles. Dream girls’ night. The best part wasn’t the ice cream, if I’m honest. It was the easy, unperformed togetherness of it.
4. A fridge salad I can actually make
Meanwhile, I’ve officially gotten into cooking, and it’s turned into one of my small resets. My kid has taught me, by example, how to shop the pantry, so the other day we made this fridge salad together: chopped chicken breast (a rotisserie chicken works, if you’re not up to cooking), crumbled feta, cooked orzo, chopped cucumber, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper, and green onion if you want it. No measurements, no stress, no cleanup bigger than one bowl. Fresh, filling, and done before the kids ask what’s for dinner twice.
5. Bright green, everywhere
Finally — a fun fall trend I keep spotting on my walks: bright green. I loved the midi skirt one woman was wearing, and I’ve seen two other pieces I’d quietly want, a pair of cotton pants and an easy shirt. It’s the kind of color that says the season is turning without being loud about it. If you’re the type who notices things like this, you already know the feeling it gives you.
A few more small glimmers
Because one list is never quite enough. A few more pick-me-ups from the last few weeks:
- fun break-up advice from a friend named Gemma — more honest than any advice I’ve ever been given
- delicious boxed brownies, and $40 sandals I can actually walk miles in
- asking long-time friends to hang out — it made me laugh when I realized how long it had been
- sneaking potato chips into recipes, and finally meeting the neighbors properly
- a very silly debate about hotels versus Airbnbs
What glimmers have you seen or felt recently? Tell me in the comments — the small stuff counts most.
a note from Hazel
I used to think picking myself up meant doing something big — a retreat, a reset, a whole new routine. This season proved me wrong. It’s the photo of the glue. It’s the ice cream walk. It’s the salad I can make with one bowl. 80/20 is enough — and honestly, most of these glimmers don’t even reach 20.