lately I've been thinking..🍵 design tea #29

mid-august notes from my phone

“But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time”

I have always wanted to quote Taylor Swift in my writing, so thanks for indulging me by reading along.💛

This weekend, on one of my usual grocery runs I walked through fallen leaves on the ground. The first signs of autumn. The sun has started setting early, and there is restlessness in the air to make the most of remaining summer.

Trying to read into signs, been reflecting into summer that was and the year ahead.

So a slight change from my usual writings, sharing some saved notes on my phone with you all. Lately I’ve been thinking..

🍁 On Curating People

“Don’t surround yourself with “smarter” people. The trick is to surround yourself with people who are free in ways you’re not. The selection of people we choose to inspire us, the closeness we invent, is one of life’s most important choices.”

I was talking to a friend who moved to London around same time as me, and we both said the same thing. So much of our social circle is just because when we moved here brand new, we want people around us. We didn’t go around curating the people we want.

My mum mentioned she formed her “new circle of friends” - giving up some extended relatives and toxic friends from work, and she has been feeling so much happier and younger.

All this has nudged me to be very intentional about people I spend time with.

Are you surrounded by situationships or a group of thoughtfully curated humans?

🍁 On Commitment

“the secret about commitment is: it offers everything that optionality promises, but with more depth and dimension. When we commit to something, we allow ourselves to surrender and feel safe within our commitment.”

The word commitment felt so big and scary. Almost too final - something you can’t screw up.

This perspective helped me reframe it as a safety net.

By committing to things, you allow yourself to fully devote your energy and time into it. Be it relationships, a social event, a new project or writing - commitment means you show up and show up fully.

What are some things you have committed to lately?

🍁 On being selective

“There is no one but you to say: actually, I need to just hang out with myself tonight.”

The working principle I have been using for my social calendar - If it’s not an instant yes, it’s a no sorry.

Sure I feel FOMO sometimes and might miss out - but knowing I am being intentional of where and how I show up balances it out.

When was the last time you said no to an event just to hang out with yourself?

Would love your thoughts on these questions - if you wanna talk about them with me, consider sending me a DM here. I try and reply to all.

🍵 tea this week

📝 If you loved this, here are some more gems for you to dig into. They’ve heavily inspired this piece.
On being selective by Mind Mine
Blog post is a complex query to find people by Escaping Flatlands
Finding the right people by Starting from Nix

📺 I have just finished Made in Heaven S2 - and am saving the last episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty. I don’t want it to end!! 😭😂

🎙 Priyanka Chopra’s episode on Call Her Daddy. I love her spirit, I love her guts.

I am traveling to India soon, and have all kind of mixed emotions. Excited to see family, spending more time with my in-laws. I am already tired thinking about all the traveling we are doing, and just all the work I need to wrap up before before I go!

Talk next week, Chhavi x

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