Sunny Side Up #15: Life loves a plot twist

Life is but a sit-com.

One thing about life is that it loves a plot twist.

I think it’s so funny that every day we wake up with an expectation of how the day is going to go, and we’re nearly always wrong. We never consider the little surprises that life has in store. They can be good or bad, or neutral. Like on Wednesday it rained, but I saw a rainbow. That was a nice surprise! On Thursday a celebrity came into the office to discuss collaborating on a project. Plot twist! Or on Monday, I got a text from someone I haven’t heard from in over a year. Mega-surprise. Sent me into a serious bout of hiccups.

All of this made me realise that life is actually just a sit-com. Even when these surprises aren’t funny, it all adds to the plot. It’s like when you hear that iconic “Oh. My. Gawd.” in Friends, you know something’s about to go down. Or in Miranda or The Office, when they do that little aside to camera to show you how they really feel. That’s how I’ve been coping all week. Plot twist? I am turning to my imaginary audience. We’re sharing this moment together. It’s all part of the plot.

Things might be unexpected, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong or inconvenient. As much as I detest them, surprises can be nice. Like on Saturday, when I was surprised with the most stunning bouquet at work! Equally, it could be a big fat inconvenience, in which case you’re well within your rights to react accordingly. Think about Friends - if Rachel hadn’t reacted in the way she did when Ross cheated on her then we wouldn’t have had some of the best, most iconic scenes in television history.

I think part of the reason sit-coms work so well is because of these mini plot twists.

The other thing they have is that sense of comfort and security. One of my favourite scenes in New Girl is in episode one and the boys sing The Time of My Life to Jess to make her feel better. Or how about all the laughs we get over a steaming hot coffee in Central Perk? The sense of familiarity in these shows gives them that wholesome feeling, and it’s something I feel strongly that we need to replicate in our own lives.

Which brings me to Wednesday night.

This time of year is always my busiest work-wise, it’s jam packed full of plot twists and I reeeallly had to take my own advice from last week in finding moments to slow down!

There are some evenings that bring with them a warmth, a bubbly content feeling that sparkles gold and leaves you floating on cloud nine at the end. Good friends, good food, and good conversation.

I had one of these evenings on Wednesday, perfectly timed to carry me through the rest of my busy week. It wasn’t one of these Pinterest-worthy dinners with homemade wood fired pizzas, a draw-your-own table cloth and Chicken wine. It was a frozen pizza, tap water, straight-from-work, “we’re all too tired to bother” kind of night. It was the pick-me-up I needed. My friend Jo’s kitchen is orange (in the most stylish way possible), which means everything looks warm and cosy in there.

Dinners at Jo’s are no-nonsense. Unexpected compilations of food - a plate of sausages, a bowl of macaroni cheese, a bowl of vegetable chilli, a plate of chicken and potatoes, miso cabbage. Help yourself. Don’t worry if you can’t eat it all. The only intention is that you relax. It’s soul soothing.

I’ve been holding on to Wednesday evening to remind me that warmth still exists when chaos crashes through the flood gates. The reality of it all is, life is actually a sit-com. There could be a plot twist at any moment. Despite this, I know that deep down I’ll cope with it all, because I always do, and there’s always a night like this coming up soon to give me the welcome break I need.

So, I suppose the little nugget for this week is to take your cues from the sit-coms. Laugh in the face of things going wrong and remember that most of it doesn’t really matter in the long run. Find little moments of wholesomeness to carry you through the tough parts. Besides, the most difficult moments are usually followed by the biggest laughs.

• I was driving so no picture but there was such a vibrant rainbow on my way to work on Wednesday. I don’t know why but I always take that as a sign that good things are on their way.

• Popped into the most gorgeous bakery - had to take a pic to show you all of the incredible cakes they had!

• You can tell it was a busy week when I’m including pictures of the fireplace. Looks so nice and cosy though!

• Dinner with friends is always a winner in my book. Evokes the same feeling as a long bubble bath on a freezing cold day, or an Earl Grey tea, or a Richard Curtis film. Jo made these cakes out of - wait for it - black beans. You’d never know. Just tastes like chocolate.

• Apparently the Northern Lights were visible again this week but I missed them AGAIN!! This picture of the night sky was my sad attempt at looking for them. One day!

• Waking up for work at 6am on a freezing cold Saturday means Harry Potter is essential viewing.

• I got given the most beautiful bouquet of flowers at work. Here they are in all their glory!

School Cake by

Stephi Blackwell

- I just adore Steph and

The Comfort Chronicles

was one of the very first Substacks I subscribed to. Her writing is so authentic and does what it says on the tin - it’s comforting. I so admire her honesty and her recipes are so good!! Raise your hand if you want a slab of school cake rn 🙋🏼‍♀️

Is it okay that I’m home alone on a Friday night? by

Ellen

- Ellen read my mind with this one! This is the second of her pieces that I felt like my thoughts had been copied and pasted (see also: Things I learned living alone).

Is the Nice Guy in the room with us? by

Alanna Duffield

- Alanna is on a roll. If you’re not subscribed to SILT, I’m afraid I must tell you to get your act together!

I am not boring by

Candice Daphne McDowell

- I am late to this post but I loved it so much. I could completely resonate with what Candice had to say, especially “I’m the friend you visit at her house and drink hot chocolates with from her fancy velvetiser.” That’s exactly what I’m doing right now.

Thank you so much for reading, and for all the love on last week’s posts. I’ve not stopped smiling at all your lovely thoughtful comments. Until next time!