How book about simple pleasures changed a Hong Kong womenswear brand founder’s life
- Hannah Jane Parkinson’s The Joy of Small Things taught womenswear brand Parallel 51’s founder Rebecca Ling to find contentment in daily life
The Joy of Small Things (2021), by British journalist Hannah Jane Parkinson, is a compilation of more than 100 columns written for The Guardian newspaper on the small pleasures and rewards to be found in daily life.
I read it last year. I got gifted it by my mother for Christmas, but I didn’t pick it up for a while because honestly, finding the time to read is a luxury.
My day job as a lawyer is hectic and involves reading a lot, and I don’t necessarily associate reading with relaxation, so I let it sit for about a year.
It appealed to me because each chapter is a stand-alone and only two pages long. It was the first time I’d read anything by her. I didn’t read it all in one go – I almost read it out of order.
When I did decide to read it, I liked the tone and the style, which were really to the point and matter of fact, but it was the title that jumped out at me.
I do think, when life is overwhelming, let’s take a minute and appreciate the small things. Just the title gave me a lot of perspective when I was feeling frantic.
The idea of just taking a minute, pausing and enjoying the small aspects of life resonates with me. I’m not normally a stressy person, and it feels like an affirmation of my way of looking at things.
It’s relevant to Parallel 51 – it’s a philosophy I apply to growing the business and building the brand.
The company started three years ago; I had reached a point in my career when I was quite confident with my day job and ready to take on a new challenge, and I moved to Hong Kong to do it because I could see that there was such a gap for a brand like mine.
Rather than stressing over big picture items like targets, it’s about enjoying the process of running the brand: those personal customer interactions, seeing how the brand makes people’s busy lives less stressful and helps them feel empowered – these small things bring me joy.
There’s a chapter about pockets that is particularly apt for Parallel 51, as one of the key goals of the brand is to make the styles comfortable, stylish and functional.
From day one, I’ve always obsessed about making styles with pockets – so this chapter jumped out at me and made me think of that.
The book’s message is also true of the brand itself: instead of always wanting to shop for new things, it’s about finding joy in what you already have – finding contentment and excitement in everyday life.
