By Mendi, Nature Native

Having spent much of my childhood in Sri Lanka, I've always loved nature. I remember how every Friday morning my parents would load us into our family car, and my heart would flutter in anticipation.

Weekends in Sri Lanka form the core memories of my childhood. That’s when Dad would drive us hundreds of kilometres down south from Colombo, and each weekend during the month-long school holidays was spent in a different seaside resort. I’d watch the landscape shift from city streets to rolling palms.

My brother and I would while away hours by the pool and on the beach — searching for tiny crabs and clams, sipping fresh water from a large orange coconut, and feeling the sun warm our shoulders. I’d pick up a frangipani flower and tuck it behind my ear, its petals soft and fragrant against my skin. The scent felt like memory itself.

Along the shore, craftsmen peddled their latest creations: wind chimes and miniature animal figurines crafted from seashells. I loved pressing the conch shells to my ear. Mom always said they carried the sea’s timeless song and that their ringing echoes were recordings from the seabed. As a child, that very thought awed my heart. To this day, several of those seaside treasures still adorn our home.

Those weekends taught me stillness. In that space, the world hangs between dream and reality — pure, unhurried, and endlessly generous. From those memories I’ve learned a quiet truth: that slow living thrives when we surround ourselves with nature and embrace its gifts.

I hope to spark your own inspiration: to bring a touch of coastal serenity into your everyday spaces and to celebrate the quiet luxury of materials shaped by sun, soil, and skilled hands.

—
Yours,
Mendi