simple pleasures
While most of us are girding our loins for a tough year ahead, Fiona Gibson plans to make 2023 as joyful as possible. Here’s how
*SO SAY BOSTON COLLEGE, MIT AND HARVARD!
1 Self-deprecation… it’s so last year
I love to make art and recently reclaimed our adult daughter’s former bedroom to paint in. I used to mumble, ‘This is where I do a bit of doodling.’ ‘So it’s your studio?’ a friend asked. ‘That sounds a bit pretentious,’ I protested. But yes, actually – it is. I intend to own it, and use it as much as I can.
2And so to bed…
I like to retire to bed at 8pm occasionally – like a convalescing Victorian lady (without being ill), I cocoon myself in an otherwise empty bed, where I can spread out in a star shape, leaf through books and magazines and relish being alone. (Since COVID, my husband and I have both worked from home and are together constantly. I’m not saying this with bitterness. I am JUST SAYING.) Eight out of 10 bosses believe that people do less work at home than in the office, according to research by Microsoft. Of course we do. I have worked for a very long time now – since 1927, it feels like – so on top of those early nights, I also plan lots of daytime naps.
3 Good, better, best
I’ve started to appreciate the sheer delight of swimming. Currently, I glide up and down with my head up like a duck. But I have crawl envy. It’s the powerful stroke; the one with speed and grace. Instead of giving confident crawlers the jealous sideeye, I’m booking lessons. Who cares that I’ll be the oldest learner in the pool?
4 A doyenne of delegation
It’s taken me until the age of 58 to realise that, when it comes to domestic tasks, delegation is possible – especially when my husband is better at something than I am. Take houseplants – while he actively enjoys dusting their leaves, I only have to unpack a basil plant for it to droop instantly. Delegating tasks – plant care has led on to morning coffee-making and bathroom cleaning – does much for domestic harmony and will increase as we move into 2023.
5 What brain drain?
Undeterred by the discovery that our ability to learn a second language starts to decline at (eek!) the age of 18*, I’ve dived into Duolingo Spanish. It’s just the excuse I need to buy beautiful notebooks, and the satisfaction of learning is enormous. I am chuffed to report that I can now buy a red jumper and tell strangers that I have an intelligent aunt. It’s a start…
6 Supermarket sarnie, anyone?
Last time I wanted to impress guests with a fancy lunch, I ordered a leg of lamb from our local bu
