Hey there! I hope you are having a wonderful day. Welcome to the first installment of a new series on my blog, Moments of Serotonin, where I’ll share little moments of joy, gratitude, and beauty from my life with you. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make existing all the more wondrous, and I think that’s important to document. So as I share these moments of happiness with you, I hope that you’ll join me in experiencing the art in everything.
MOMENTS OF SEROTONIN NOVEMBER 2020
1. Driving in the rain & listening to Christmas music
This day was the first serious rainfall we got in the Bay Area and I was honestly in my prime. Not only do I thrive in cozy and rainy weather, but I was just grateful for California welcoming in the fall season even though it was near the end of November. The leaves in my neighborhood were finally changing color and it was the first time it felt like fall was actually here. Experiencing proper seasons is something that I’ve really missed since not being at my college in the Midwest, so the change felt amazing.
Ok now if you know me, you’d know I don’t really like driving. I normally spend most of my time trying to avoid it LOL. BUT, when I’m alone and driving through “the bay area countryside” I hold up pretty well. So that’s what I did — listened to Christmas music and drove through the “countryside” in the rain. And it was a happy, magical day.
2. Getting a real Christmas tree!
I somehow convinced my parents to get a real Christmas tree for the first time! It’s a whole new experience and we’ve been loving it. Yes, it is more work, but it is totally worth it. In a day and age where I feel like society strives for perfection, it is nice having a tree that is just being a tree. Makes me appreciate nature and its free flowing ways on a new level. I also just really enjoyed going to a tree farm and finding a tree to bring home.
3. Cooking for Thanksgiving & Jamming to 2000’s Bollywood Music
Thanksgiving was such a fun day. I love baking and cooking as is, but this is the one day where everyone is just all hands on deck and it’s quite wonderful. We started the morning off cooking and we all jammed to Bollywood songs from movies like Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Jab We Met, and Hum Aapke Hai Koun. ’Twas quite spectacular seeing everyone working on the same mission: Operation Thanksgiving Dinner.
4. Adventures in Hobby Lobby
I’ve lived 20 years in my life and this is the first time I’ve stepped foot in Hobby Lobby. I’ve been missing out, especially during the holiday season — it’s like a Christmas wonderland in there! My mom and I got a bit too carried away with all the Christmas decor, but it was worth it. Sometimes I even just enjoy walking through Christmas aisles to look at everything and walk out empty handed. Christmas decor just makes me happy and makes it feel like all is well 🙂
5. Playing Jenga with family
Ok so this Thanksgiving break was the first time I’ve played Jenga as an adult and it is far more enjoyable than what I remember from my childhood. There is just a better understanding of balance and gravity, so everyone is just better at the game. It gets intense real quick. We turned quite competitive and destructive, but all is good with family company.
6. Rewatching shows from my childhood
Recently my brother and I started rewatching one of our favorite shows from middle school life, House of Anubis. I literally broke my shoulder over it when I was 12. Anyways, it’s a mystery show that is set in a British boarding school and it follows a telenovela format, so it is very addicting and always keeps me on my toes. Now it’s probably not the best quality TV you can watch, but just watching back at it makes me laugh and reminds me of the wonderful days of being a 12 year old.
That’s it for my Moments of Serotonin for November! I will be continuing this series every month and I hope you feel inspired to think about the small things in life that spark joy for you.
Stay happy!
