A simple life

I’ve been sad lately. It seems every day I’m bombarded with reminders of how ugly the world can be.

The older I get, the more I see how frivolous the things we worry about everyday — work, money, what celeb is dating who.

I often think about the times I was rich but felt poor.

I often think about the times I was poor but felt rich.

On my days off, I sometimes do absolutely nothing. I watch some Youtube. I chat with my wife. I lounge around. And it’s glorious how very little those things above mattered.

In times like this, I just want to disappear from the world and wander in my own little bubble.

Away from the need to document every little thing I’ve deemed cool on Instagram, in the hopes it will get me new customers.

Away from the endless arguments on Twitter (Sorry, X) and threads.

Away from the feeling I have that I need to keep up with celebrity, fashion trends, and what slang kids 30 years younger than me are using.

I would wake up without an alarm and have a slow morning. I’ll throw a cashmere coat over my hoodie and head out for coffee and a croissant.

Sometimes I’ll walk it back home. Sometimes I’ll sit there for 2 hours.

I’ll spend the day walking around, observing the world. I’ll sit with my sketchbook and fountain pen, and record the feeling I see in the form of a drawing.

I’ll come back home and walk my wife through my illustrated day.

We’ll make dinner and invite friends over.

Sometimes the dinner will last an hour. Sometimes we’ll all sit around for 4.

When everyone is gone, we’ll curl up on the couch and fall asleep to some nostalgic horror movie.

On days when I’m sad, I try to remember how little I really need to make me happy.