The Smallest Joys: How a YouTuber Changed My Outlook & TBH, My Life

You’ve likely never heard of Ondo. Because in the influencer-infatuated world that we live in, she’s the opposite of FOMO. No, Ondo is exactly what we need to reimagine our everyday lives.

Today, I’m going to let you into my world and onto a secret obsession of mine.

It’s my go-to whenever I’m feeling down, sad, lonely, hungry, tired. Whenever I start to get freaked out, I turn to this to soothe my soul. Even when I’m in a good mood, I can count on this to make my day even brighter. And on the nights I can’t fall asleep, it’s what I turn to.

And nope, it’s not a skincare product. It’s a YouTube channel. And nope, it’s not even a beauty YouTube channel. It’s a vlog channel under the name Ondo. Go ahead. Click on it. I’ll be here waiting.

So now maybe you’re thinking, what in the world is so special about this Korean woman who seemingly does absolutely nothing? She takes videos of herself cooking simple meals, watching TV, going to the grocery store — literally all things we all do every day. And yet over half a million people who follow her are enthralled.

A quick glance at the comments on her videos let’s me know that people find her videos calming, meditative in a way. I LOVE that she records herself doing these everyday things that we all do. It’s like the antithesis to the Instagram influencer world — people who are always jetsetting somewhere, hanging out on the beach, smiling while drinking coconuts, and vlogging about shopping sprees. I’m not even going to get into influencer culture, but these types of posts can have a way of making me feel inadequate and frankly, like I’m doing something wrong in my life. This lifestyle is unattainable for me at this current stage of my life, and it gives me intense FOMO (fear of missing out). I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m even a bit jealous at times. We all want a cool life with unlimited vacations and beauty products sent to us on a daily basis (or is that just me?).

But Ondo (who rarely shows her face, I might add) records herself literally sitting in her house all day, doing her laundry, drawing pictures, watching a TV show — all things that we do every day but feel oh-so-boring. She goes on coffee dates with friends or goes to the park for a picnic. She eats normal things for breakfast, like eggs and yogurt — no fancy $10 avocado toasts here, folks!

When I watch her videos, I’m reminded of the better things in life, the ways we can get joy from just relaxing and being and embracing the realities of our lives. Let’s face it, the vast majority of us are like Ondo — people who work, come home, make dinner, and go to sleep. I used to feel a way about this, like there has to be more to life than this! But Ondo has shown me that you can find joy in the humdrum of life. Lounging around at home is a privilege, a joy, a treasure. Going to pick up groceries after work isn’t a chore, it’s the start to an amazing night of good food. There’s calm and peace in the daily grind.

So thank you, Ondo, for showing me that I can find happiness doing exactly what I do every day. I don’t need to be anything or anyone else than the person I already am. What a gift!

Have you watched Ondo on YouTube? What are your thoughts! Let me know in the comments!