The Soft Week Menu: The Importance of Having Something to Look Forward To

Hi Besties, This week I’ve been thinking about anticipation. Not the big, life-changing kind, the small kind. So the book you’re excited to start. The friend you’re planning to see. The recipe you can’t wait to make. The trip you’re slowly counting down to. The next season, the next chapter, or the next cozy thing on the horizon. I don’t think we talk enough about how much happiness lives in the looking forward. We tend to focus on the event itself. So the vacation, the holiday, or the achievement. But some of the joy actually happens before we ever get there. It’s in the planning, the imagining, and the anticipation. And maybe that’s one reason soft living feels so meaningful to me. It encourages us to create things to look forward to instead of waiting for them to happen by accident. So this week, that’s the theme of my Soft Week Menu. Noticing what’s ahead, creating a few things to anticipate, and remembering that happiness often begins long before the moment arrives.

This Week’s Menu

Reading

The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk

Hobby

Coloring pages and possibly a jigsaw puzzle

This Week’s Focus

Creating things to look forward to

Ritual

Making future plans, both big and small

Reset

Letting anticipation be part of the enjoyment

Question to Carry

What am I genuinely looking forward to right now?

A Little Life Update

My mum left this week, and the house feels noticeably quieter without her. Whenever she visits, there comes a point where her presence simply becomes part of daily life. Morning chats, kitchen conversations, random discussions about food, memories, family updates, and whatever else happens to come up during the day. Then suddenly the visit is over. I miss her already. But one thing I’ve realized is that saying goodbye always gives us something else too: a reason to start planning the next visit. Of course, if I’m being honest, I’m overdue for a trip to see her and my dad myself. So that’s officially on my list. And maybe that’s part of what sparked this week’s theme too. The moment one thing ends, another thing appears on the horizon. Something new to anticipate, something new to look forward to.

Reading: Returning to a Favorite

Lately I’ve had a strong urge to revisit a series I absolutely loved years ago. The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk was one of those reading experiences that stayed with me long after I finished it. I first read the trilogy during the summer of 2019 and completely binged my way through it. Since then, I’ve gone on to read nearly everything Rachel Cusk has published. I loved her essay collection Coventry. Second Place remains one of my favorite novels I’ve read in recent years. I enjoyed Parade as well. And I’m already looking forward to her upcoming book, Life of M. She also has a substantial backlist I still want to explore, but for some reason, I keep thinking about Outline. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s curiosity, or maybe I simply want to experience those books again from the perspective of who I am now. Whatever the reason, I’ve learned not to ignore those reading instincts. Sometimes the books we’re drawn back to are trying to tell us something. And honestly, revisiting a favorite book can be just as exciting as discovering a new one.

Hobby: Coloring, Puzzles, and Gentle Projects

Coloring remains a permanent menu item around here. At this point, I think it’s become one of the anchors of my week. No matter what’s happening, I know I can sit down with a coloring page and spend a little time doing something calm, creative, and uncomplicated. I’ve also been working on a coloring collaboration I can’t wait to share with you soon. I’ve also been itching to pull out a jigsaw puzzle. There’s something appealing about working on a puzzle, and no, it’s not because I’m trying to finish it quickly. But because I like the idea of having something waiting for me, something I can return to a little at a time. Maybe that’s another form of anticipation too. A hobby that unfolds gradually instead of all at once. And after several weeks of baking projects, I’m putting baking on pause for now. Not because I don’t enjoy it. Simply because I’m listening to what sounds appealing this week. And right now, puzzles and coloring are winning.

This Week’s Focus: Anticipation Is Part of Happiness

One thing I’ve noticed is that adults are often surprisingly bad at giving themselves things to look forward to. Children do this naturally. They count down to birthdays, school holidays, special outings, and favorite traditions. Somewhere along the way, many of us stop creating that sense of anticipation for ourselves. We become so focused on managing responsibilities that we forget to intentionally place small joys on the horizon. But I think anticipation matters. Not because we need our lives to revolve around future events. Because looking forward to something adds a little extra brightness to today. It gives us momentum, hope, and something to smile about on an ordinary Tuesday. This week, I want to be more intentional about creating that feeling.

Ritual: Creating Future Joy

My ritual this week is surprisingly simple. I’m making a list of things I’m looking forward to. Some are big, and some are incredibly small. So upcoming book releases I’m looking forward to reading, future reading guides, the upcoming coloring book collab, planning my next visit home to see my parents, a cozy weekend, doing holiday crafts, and the arrival of autumn which is my favorite season. I’ve realized that simply naming these things makes them feel more real. It helps me notice that there are good things ahead. And sometimes that’s exactly what we need.

Reset: Stop Rushing to the Next Thing

One trap I fall into occasionally is treating anticipation like an obstacle. I focus so much on getting to the thing I’m excited about that I forget to enjoy the waiting. This week I’m trying something different. I’m letting the anticipation be part of the experience. Not rushing, not skipping ahead, just simply appreciating that it’s nice to have things on the horizon. That’s the reset I’m carrying into this week.

The Question We’re Carrying This Week

What am I genuinely looking forward to right now?
Don’t give the answer you think you should give. Give the real one. Maybe it’s a book, a visit, a holiday, a quiet weekend at home, or maybe it’s something tiny. Whatever it is, spend a moment appreciating it. The anticipation counts too.

Final Thoughts

This week’s Soft Week Menu is a reminder that happiness doesn’t only live in the present moment. Sometimes it lives just ahead of us. In the books we can’t wait to read. The people we can’t wait to see. The plans we’re beginning to make. The seasons were excited to enter. The possibilities waiting around the corner. This week, I’m looking forward to revisiting an old favorite, spending time with a coloring page or puzzle, planning future visits, and embracing the simple joy of having good things ahead. Your soft week starts here. I’d love to know: What are you genuinely looking forward to right now? Let me know in the comments.