Cloud 11: "Because it makes me happy" is a valid reason

Also on this week's list: Compassionate listening. A new holistic wellness space for women. Social anxiety. "But what even is 'normal'?"

☁️ Cloud 11 is a letter dedicated to the week’s loves, discoveries, pleasures and words. What were the most memorable moments of your week?

01.
Over acai, Angela said: Being authentic is more important than being flawless. 

02.
Practise more: Compassionate listening. 
That is to say, listen not to offer my advice or opinion (unless/until asked.) Listen not to come up with some clever reply. Not to fix the other or solve their problems. Listen instead to understand. To offer the other the solace, silence, presence and attention, a safe, judgement-free space to be heard—by me, but more importantly by themselves as they find the words for their thoughts, feelings and circumstance, as they tell their own story, out loud. Sometimes, the best and most useful thing we can do for someone is simply to listen.

03. 
He came home from Hong Kong bearing gifts. 
Gaiac Flower & Gentle Night. 
Hand cream from NONFICTION. Korean brand. Advocates "daily rituals to turn inward".

"...begin from starting simple rituals in the midst of all the hustles and listening closer to inner voice, not being swayed by messages from outside. Discover yourself again."

Gaiac Flower: "Smoky twists of innocence and sensuality of oriental flowers." Scent notes: Wild Rose, Guaiac, Oriental, Vanilla, Amber

Gentle Night: "Epicene beauty blended with warmth of sweet suede, calming cedarwood, vanilla, and musk." 
Also noted: White Tea, Fig and Moss

Sweet almond, avocado and vitamin E care for hands that have been doing too much, working too hard.

You told me about this in Japan, he said. 
Right. A shop in Kanazawa. Displayed a small selection of items from the brand. The ones I liked, sold out. You remembered.

A tale of four cities. Non-fiction.

04.
📝: Imagine, if you're a mantra on a giant billboard—a message for anyone who happens to look up from their screens and worries—what would you say?

05.
Wednesday. Attended the official opening of Prologue—a holistic health concept for women's wellness. In the heart of Orchard, an invitation to "rewrite your relationship with health". Their perspective: Wellness is... an unfolding journey of balance, vitality and self-discovery. I've been quite curious since I heard about it in February. Cocooned in avocado/leafy hues, an introduction to the centre and the team—health coaches, nutritionists, dieticians, physiotherapists, wellness advisors—there to provide individualised preventive and restorative care through a woman's perimenopause, menopause and pre- and post-natal journey, among other services. That day, via an InBody analysis, I discovered that I am a little deficient in protein and muscle mass. I return this week for a one-on-one consult and treatment. Will report back. 

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask a wellness advisor? Leave a message or email me.

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06. 
“I took myself out of the calm and wondered why I’m so frazzled.” —Pico Iyer 

07.
Substacks I’m enjoying at the moment and have subscribed to:
Slow Stories  /  A Reading Life  /  Oldster  /  The Still Practice Substack  /  Love And Other Rugs  /  Magasin

08. 
Must I feel guilty for doing what makes me happy? "Because it makes me happy" is a valid, good enough reason*. No further explanation or justification necessary. 

(*As long as no living things are harmed.)

09. 
Currently reading (and quite hooked on):  
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney   

"Had believed once that life must lead to something, all the unresolved conflicts and questions leading on towards some great culmination... But what is it all leading up to. An end without an ending... Calmer now. Attuned to quieter feelings. Under what conditions is life endurable?"

10. 
“I’d remained hunched over for a few hours working on various projects. I needed to stand up, stretch, and walk away from it all to move closer to myself.” —Rachel Schwartzmann, Slow Stories  

11. 
Over lunch with a new friend on Thursday. INFP and INTP. Talked about my recent episodes of social anxiety (I'll write about that in a future letter, soon). A realisation, thanks to INTP's perspective: It is possible that I am not as awkward and strange as I make myself out to be in my head. (No one, it seems, notices how violently my heart is beating on my chest. Or how focused I am on my breathing. Or that I'm massaging acupressure points on my palms to calm the anxiety.) And it is possible that other people are not as "normal" as I believe them to be. But what even is "normal" when every person is in fact different and unique? Japanese novelist Sayaka Murata said this in an interview with The Gentlewoman, "When I'm acting the most normal is when I feel my madness the most. Normal, for me, is something that doesn't come from within ourselves. It's the self that believes what society is telling us." 
 

Thank you for reading. Until the next letter, have a beautiful and light-hearted new week. Drink water, stand up and stretch, look up at the sky, and speak kind words to your self.

Love,