Simple Pleasures

I am not going to lie- sometimes I buy lolita pieces to cheer myself up. I am going through a very difficult time right now because somebody close to me is unwell and in June it will be 5 years since my dad died. Although buying lolita is no substitute for talking about your problems, I still went and brought something. I just felt I deserved a treat so I had something to look forward to. Yet I do realise that this is an unhealthy habit. It is not as if spending money will can help the situation and obviously, you have to have the funds in the first place or you will only be adding to your problems. I confess that I recently brought something, my reason being that it was something I had wanted for a long time and it was at a good price. It just so happens that it has coincided with a bad patch I am going through.

However, I have recently re-learnt to enjoy the smaller things in life as well. I call them life's simple pleasures. These are the things that I do just because I can. And you know what? It really does take my mind off of the bad things for a bit. It saddens me that I had gotten so wrapped up in things that I had stopped noticing everything around me... and these are all things I can enjoy for free, or at least very cheaply.

And so, I present my simple pleasures.

1. Taking off my socks and running about barefoot- Summer is almost here again! The UK is currently experiencing some very pleasant weather (although my area has a hosepipe ban starting next week because we are technically in a drought area!). It doesn't matter if I am in lolita or not, I love the feel of grass tickling my feet. Screw the rules! I would rather let my feet breathe than be uncomfortable and sweaty. There is just this sense of freedom you get when you are barefoot. I think I might have been a 60's hippy in a past life! P.S- please note that those are not my feet in the picture!

2. Opening the window- For some reason, I am noticing the birdsong a lot more now than I did before. The sun is streaking through our thin curtains. Sometimes I will pause and look out the window for a few minutes. We get a lot of squirrels in our garden and they are such fun and quirky creatures. I like watching them play together. The only issue is when my neighbour's evil cat comes along and scares them all away! It is also nice to take photos from time to time, especially when you take it from the same spot during different seasons and you can see all the changes.

3. Getting away from the internet- A lot of the lolita community is based online but sometimes I desperately need to disappear for a little bit. I prise myself away from my laptop and I actually go outside. I don't worry about a dream dress cropping up or being posted on any drama communities. I can't worry about things online when I can't even see them.

4. Feeding the ducks- ducks are my favourite animal and I am very lucky to live near some lakes which are usually full of ducks. I remember being taken to feed the ducks when I was really little. I tend to think "Why should I stop doing something I enjoy just because I am grown up now?". I find it really difficult not to be happy when I am chucking bread to all those cute ducks.

5. Painting my nails- I find this a good distraction because you need to pay attention or you will get it all over your fingers. Plus there is an endless amount of different shades to choose between. I am always hoarding loads of nail polish bottles and I find it hard to throw them out. I never got the point of doing my toe nails as well (unless I am barefoot, nobody will see my feet) but sometimes I will paint them anyway. I like the idea of having these secret brightly coloured toe nails that only I know about. And yes, when I wear lolita I will sometimes deliberately choose a colour for my toe nails that doesn't match!  Just because I can!

6. Posting random things to friends in the mail- In November one of my friends decided it would be really funny for a group of us to send a load of random, pointless things to a friend of ours in the post. So as part of this, I sent her a random leaflet about looking after chickens. It was funny watching it play out over Facebook. She was absolutely convinced it was somebody else who had posted it and her reaction was so funny! She saw the funny side after we explained what was going on. By the way, this only works if your friend has a sense of humour- so pick your victim wisely! Is this immature? Yes. Is is fun? Double yes!

7. Watching the cartoon channels in the early hours of the morning- Another one of those things that I don't think you should stop enjoying simply because you have grown up. I still watch Pokemon every week! I love how even after so many series, Ash is still making loads of beginner mistakes. I strongly recommend Spongebob. How can you not love Spongebob?

This is only a select few simple pleasures of mine. Yes, I might sometimes buy lolita for the wrong reasons, but I would like to hope that deep down those clothes are not a crutch that I cling on to. I don't buy stuff because I need them, I buy them because I can. I think the most important thing is to make sure you are actually dealing with your problems and not ignoring them. But a little occasional distraction can be just the thing you need too- and for me that doesn't have to be lolita.