What Is Your Joy Span?

The last time I put my hand on my heart was when I went to a Gregory Alan Isakov concert in Portland Maine near the water and it was this perfect summer night and he played ‘Master And A Hound’ and I just put my hand over my heart and cried and cried but not in a sad way, just in an oh my God this is magical – way.

Some recent joys: Our dog Nora playing with her BFF, German shepherd Harley. They just love each other so much, can play for hours and are just joy embodied. Autumn light and colors. This season is sometimes only a few weeks here, but this year is particularly good. The leaves are already coming down. It’s so ephemeral that you have to make a point to enjoy. Feeling small and insignificant in the mountains, under the sky. It’s the best feeling. Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden. Looking forward to a new puppy coming home next month. We are ready for this joy after a lot of sadness this last year. My sweet hens, so full of personality and silliness. The wind blowing through the aspens.

Thank you, Joanna, for this one. It feels so close to heart — the softness and tenderness of women who have been through a lot, and who have stayed true to the beauty and value of simplicity and human connection. I’ve been following your blog for 14 years now, all the way from Zagreb, Croatia, and you’ve been a daily companion in everyday life. Especially in raising two boys of a similar age to mine — your stories, the laughs, and your conversations have so often reminded me to be a more attentive mother. And a better person. You have created something meaningful and lasting — in the way the simplest things in life often are. So, one of my answers to your question about personal joys would be: reading Cup of Jo. Thank you for everything.

Internet outtage, took me days to be able to read this! Joys right now are: 2 small girl dogs asleep on the bed as I lay and read every single comment and take notes. And no one is here but me! A little rare rain last week brought whiffs of petrichor, THAT SMELL before rain, which makes me dizzy with joy. My 12 yr old finally moving into her bedroom to sleep (it’s downstairs, and has just been to scary and challenging til now) and she STILL insists on our chats, and then having me read Charlotte’s Web to her. We have been reading it nightly since she was 4 or 5. I hope it never ends. Realizing that now that my “baby” (57 year old) brother is safely living in a memory care home out in the desert, after I spent 2 years getting him a diagnosis of dementia, and his SSDI sorted out means…I do not have to panic EVERY SINGLE DAY about what will happen to him. He is alive, he is fed, he is well looked after. It’s taken about 3 months, but I no longer wake up with instant dread about what the day holds. Thanks Jo and COJ community. Love love love you guys. PS – bio identical HRT, LADEEZ! I’m 60 something, it has saved my life and then given it back to me!

I’ve felt this, too! I’m in my mid-forties, and ever since I turned 40 I’ve been feeling my mortality. It doesn’t feel bad though, it’s just a realization that I will actually die, in real life, and what does that mean for how I want to live? For me, it means following your example and the example of so many Cup of Jo readers and leaning harder into friendships, making space that I didn’t think I had for friend time, cultivating new relationships in my neighborhood, and remembering Catherine Newman’s lovely description of treating parenting like it’s throwing a really great decades-long party. We are here (on Earth) for each other!

When I saw this on Thursday, I was glad to see it and also I could not relate; I had been feeling so cut off from joy for weeks (months?) Then the next morning something changed (was it my period stopping?) and I felt not anxious, not depressed, able to access joy again, even though the really hard things in my life/the world are still there. So for everyone who is also having a really hard time, a reminder: it will pass, sometimes when you least expect it. Joys right now – sleepy bees on the garden flowers, autumn light, the joy in my kids’ faces when they see me, morning tea in my favorite mug in the garden, and a satisfying poop.

Those pandemic conversations with your dad sound beautiful!

WOW, that picture of you and Freddie is just so darn lovely, it shows love, deep love. Yours and Freddie smiles says it all, joy, love, together, and feelings of being cherished……I love it and wish that for all of us single women.

-Growing, learning, and thriving in my Internship era (even when I’m outside of my comfort zone). -When I sense an oncoming fall breeze. -Going on a morning walk with a cold can of Trader Joe’s orange espresso tonic. -Laughing, whether that be with strangers, friends, co-workers, peers. -Smearing and drawing and painting and seeing where my art brain takes me. -Videos of hairless cats.

Lately I’ve noticed that after living in Washington for 4 years (I’m a Long Island transplant), that I’ve made wonderful friends. I feel connected to this beautiful group of women and I hope we’re able to maintain and enjoy our friendship for years to come ❤️

I thought of this poem! And, come to think of it, poetry enhances my joy span, always. The Word by Tony Hoagland Down near the bottom of the crossed-out list of things you have to do today, between “green thread” and “broccoli,” you find that you have penciled “sunlight.” Resting on the page, the word is beautiful. It touches you as if you had a friend and sunlight were a present he had sent from someplace distant as this morning—to cheer you up, and to remind you that, among your duties, pleasure is a thing that also needs accomplishing. Do you remember? that time and light are kinds of love, and love is no less practical than a coffee grinder or a safe spare tire? Tomorrow you may be utterly without a clue, but today you get a telegram from the heart in exile, proclaiming that the kingdom still exists, the king and queen alive, still speaking to their children, —to any one among them who can find the time to sit out in the sun and listen.

I will preface that I know Disney is a controversial topic, but darn it I need some happiest place on Earth. We started a tradition for our son’s birthday that he can choose between a party or a trip, and this year he settled on Disneyland. And then our beloved dog passed away and the grief is heavy and I told my husband that I don’t care how much it costs – I need something joyful to look forward to. So we booked it and I am delighted! I told my son that I would like help picking out fun ears to wear at the park, and he said that if I get ears, he gets a bubble wand. The thought of him skipping through the park surrounded by bubbles and over the top holiday decorations is carrying me through the end of the year!

Im not sure if you e read the book of Ecclesiastes. It can be kind of a downer, but it’s basic point is that life is random, unfair, and sometimes short, so find joy in food, drink, friends and God. I used to prefer the morality texts with their rigor, but at age 44 with a recent cancer diagnosis, Ecclesiastes is spot on. Amazing how we’ve been mulling on the same contemplatiins for thousands of years. The writer, king Solomon presumably, even pays tribute to his building years and acknowledge that all of it will likely land in the hands of people who dont appreciate the work it took to get there.

I’m taking the kids (12, 9) to London in a few weeks; first trip for all of us. It’s just a long weekend so we are going to try to stay as central as possible. Any recs for where to stay or anything else?

Retirement is the simple pleasure I cherish now because doing so allowed larger space for pleasures that bring joy and patience; time that doesn’t mean rushing. It also meant menopause would no longer strap me down. Plan for a joyful retirement, all. 🙏

Inspired by Samin Nosrat’s recent quote about her weekly dinners, “seeing friends doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to happen”, we’ve decided to start hosting every-other-Sunday suppers, potluck-style. Here’s how it works, in case anyone else wants to try it: -we sent out one group text to ~30 folks, with the invite and the general structure, imploring everyone to not, for the love of god, reply all -this was followed by a Shared Note (iPhone), with all the details and the approach; all updates then happen in the shared note without a million texts needed -on Thursday before the Sunday, we send out a reminder text to RSVP YES onlys by end of day, along with number in party -on Friday before the Sunday, we send out individual texts with food assignments; we’ll always make the main dish -the most important part: come between 5-6, we’ll eat at 6, hard out by 8 (we have a toddler) -that’s it! My joy, beyond the entire thing, is that this Sunday, we’ll have a supper with 7 adults and 3 kids, for whom we hope to model the magic of breaking bread together, connection, and conversation; hoping that we all feel just a little more loved and seen during these truly chaotic times. Do share if anyone else tries it!

Drinking coffee on the couch on a weekend morning, tasting those first Fall apples, sunshine on my face in the late afternoon, getting my teen to go for a walk or do the NYT puzzles on the morning commute, checking in with dear friends, celebrating a New Year with loved ones, responding to a tough email at work with compassion and genuine apology to someone who felt wronged and feeling so much better after.

My joys- My 3 year old. Everyday when we get home from daycare/work we have a snack and then I spend an hour playing with him- letting him take the lead and we usually end up on the floor with his character toys in pretend play. Sometimes, when we are in the middle of it, I see him look into my face and he has such an expression of happiness and contentment. Seeing that fills my soul.

So, I interviewed for the dream job of all dream jobs. The stats on even interviewing are wild — the equivalent of being drafted to the NBA! I wasn’t selected. And while it of course still stings, it’s also brought this perspective shift, because the things I’ve been doing in my professional life up til now are what brought me so amazingly far in the process. It’s like, you think you’re doing “just” your job. But who knows, maybe it adds up to a lot more than that at some point. I will absolutely reapply in the next cycle, which won’t be for four years. And maybe the timing will be right next time, who knows. And yeah, it’s hard not to be brought down by the voice asking: but what if you never get picked? But I have to believe that the stuff I do “along the way” is itself the point, regardless.

What a lovely post.

My 12 year old son broke his arm in school 3 weeks ago. It was bad, he needed surgery and has started physical therapy. Every night we sit on my bed and I turn on the Great British Bake off or Pop Culture Jeopardy and we do his exercises together. I massage his arm and put lotion on his legs at the end and it has just been so sweet to have this time together after a traumatic few days.

Oh gosh, would love a thoughtful article on this: “How do you try to teach the boys a love of learning?”

At the intersection of perimenopause and joy-span: watching the Lilith Fair documentary and re-visiting all of those amazing 90s female artists! Highly recommend both watching and listening to the music from the doc, it’s so well done and so nostalgic for those of us 40 somethings :)

I always love these posts! I love reading the comments and seeing what other people find joy in and try to pause more often to enjoy the good things. My joys: -watching my daughter ride horses , her passion !:) – a fresh pair of running shoes I put on to run with my labrador this morning . The bounce of new running shoes! I feel like I could run forever. – when I let my dog off leash to run into a nearby creek. She is so happy :) – making a warm dish of pasta with vodka sauce and sausage last night. I lit a candle and played French cafe music on pandora.

The reading in bed x 1000. My 9 year old does not yet enjoy reading and has some catch up to do in the number of books his read thus far in the school year. Last night, he and I read together in “the big bed” as we call the bed in our primary bedroom, and it was the so lovely. I started a new book and he finished one, noting out loud every so often what page he was on, with pride in his voice. It was such a quiet and restorative experience, I’m already looking forward to our next session.

Whenever I need a moment of pause in my life, I go to one of my windows. When we moved, I put up bird feeders in front of several of the windows and nothing brings me more joy than to just quietly sit and watch the birds flit about, or the clumsy squirrels make a mess. Aging has not helped my anxiety, but finding tiny bits of grounding joy like this, helps immensely.

Your dad’s question! As a long time reader and semi regular commenter, I’d love to know: @Joanna Goddard – who DO you picture writing to when you write Cup of Jo? Does it change depending on the topic or content? Have you ever asked guest writers who they picture?

I’ve had a rough couple of years related the pandemic, two extremely difficult pregnancies, two pregnancy losses, and the loss of a dear friend, compounded by health issues my parents and in-laws were suffering from–during which I ended up walking away from my dream job to relocate and focus on my family. I just started a new job that was (and still, sometimes feels, is) a good fit for this chapter of my life, but like many people who’s posted here, I mostly just want to do well enough at the job and for it to be contained within certain hours so I can get on with the rest of my life. I’m also grieving a bit the fact that my journey of creating new life has ended; because of our pregnancy challenges, my husband is firmly against having another child, and the little girl in me who wanted a huge family is mourning that–even though I am so very grateful for the two little ones we have! The little joys that keep me going: -co-workers who make me laugh at the ridiculousness of some of the things we have to do in our jobs -nuzzling my baby’s soft fuzzy head -beginning to have real conversations with my 4 year old -the baby crawling to find me when I am in a different room -calls/texts from my best friends who all live in different parts of the countries -seeing flowers planted in my neighbor’s yard

This is such a fun question! Joyful things lately: -Cooking something I tried cooking before that failed at the time and came out wonderful this time (for me it was a veggie hash) -Trying everything pumpkin spice this time of year -Finding an author I really enjoy who has books that are readily available at the library -leaning into Fall weather

George Winston‘s ‚Autumn‘ – picking up my eldest from a five day school trip and grinning at each other across the parking lot (his dimple!!) – candle light – ginger tea with honey – hot water bottles – buying a new-to-me merino sweater in the perfect shade – time with a friend in the local salt baths = my current joy span

That is beautiful. Speaking of perimenopause, I’ve been reading Perimenopause Power by Maisie Hill and it’s so informative and validating. I had been experiencing health issues ever since having a hysterectomy 2 years ago (they also removed one ovary along with the uterus) which have had an impact on my hormones. Of course doctors said my hormone levels are fine, and said i just have anxiety type symptoms. Her book helped me realize I’m probably in perimenopause and to get a naturopath and help manage it and I’ve been feeling so much better with their help and guidance. Feeling unwell and then coming out of the worst of it helps you feel grateful and notice joyful moments so much more.

Our beloved dog died 2 years ago and we have been talking about getting a dog for a year now and I have been reluctant to commit. Your friend’s dog’s sweet face has convinced me to make the move, life is too short to not increase my joy span!

I’m in my early 40s and late perimenopause, but I’m having a slightly different experience than many commenters. I was a full time parent for about a decade until I opened my own professional services firm a little over 2 years ago. I often feel guilt over how much a love and pour into my work. After so much caregiving and facilitating everything in my family, I’m hungry to make up for lost time by finally investing in my mental stimulation and need for external validation. Anyone else?

I’m a first time mom to an incredible ex-27 weeker micro-preemie. Everything and anything she does brings me so.much.joy. Everyday I get to watch her experience life in ways we were told she would likely never get the chance to. Our BIG joys this week has been watching her grab onto both feet for the first time – feeling safe and comfy in her body. Witnessing her form a bond with my parents who have carried us through the depths of complex medical parenting – full body smiles for my mom and dad when they walk into a room.

My joy span consists of the following: Rising before daybreak, lighting candles and enjoying the sky as it transforms. Jazz for Autumn playlist in the background. Cool breezes while sitting on the deck with my fur baby while enjoying my morning coffee. Continuing to make my house a home.

My 4.5-month-old angel baby’s giggles 🩵 At 41, after two years of fertility treatments, I finally get to experience this joy and he makes life brighter than I ever imagined. Also, this blog…I haven’t been reading it as often (new baby life), but whenever I do, it truly brings me happiness.

Read this yesterday so the small joys were…walking and talking all day with a very old friend in the sunshine, taking an Uber boat up the Thames like two kids and giggling, a gracious young Italian man giving me his seat on a very crowded train that evening. Perimenopause? Annoying and unpredictable in my experience but really, really just a phase. The only way out is through.

The CoJ questions lately have been lovely! Thank you for the excuse to pause. This week my extremely chubby nine-month-old (like imagine a collection of Hawaiian rolls beneath the Gerber baby’s head) said her first word: BANANA! But me and her nanny were the only ones to hear it, and now I think it was maybe a shared hallucination. Either way, I’m having so much fun trying to get her to say BANANA again. That is for sure a current joy. Other joys: Watching YouTube videos on swimming form because I am learning how to swim for fitness #healthyaging Yikes, that’s all I can think of for now… I am 36 and nine months postpartum (see: baby) and have been back to work for six months. I feel like I’ve aged 25 years in the span of that time. While it isn’t perimenopause, this time of life feels similarly significant. It’s so hard, and so hormonal, and, as many have noted before me, so tedious and profound. There’s a lot I love about this time of life — challenges and rising to the occasion are fulfilling. But it’s definitely a chapter where identifying joy is crucial. Otherwise, Jesus Christ wtf ?!?

This was such a balm to read :)

Oh Jo you gorgeous human, thanks for this and all you do

Yes! I have, for quite a few years, been living with this goal of simple happiness. Honeycrisp apple scented candle Special treat smash burger from a local wine bar So many library books in rotation Falling in love with romance movies and romcoms again Getting very close to finishing my first novel A cat sleeping on my lap new perfectly sized coffee cups Planning a low key 40th birthday after considering all sorts of things watching this season of Dancing with the stars completely out of the blue! Telling my husband about my “nightmare” where we were contestants on the amazing race and I was so angry I was yelling at him because he wanted to have a cigarette when we were minutes from winning the race

Something that made me laugh out loud recently was the commenter on the Sezane post earlier this week who remarked that the window signage looked like it said, “Bonjour Bro.” Hahah. Sezane marketing team, take note!

Completely floored by the questions you and your Dad asked each other. My Dad struggles a lot — as a person, as a parent, as a partner. I have few memories of him not drunk at some point in the day. So we’ve never had deep conversations. It seems delightful.

I am in Mississippi for work, and my whole day has been a scattering of joylets. I plotted out a long-ass walk to the other side of town and got to – Explore a big, complicated gas station market with umpteen new-to-me varieties of sour candy and sing along with Jim Croce’s “Operator” in the bathroom – Cross the two local creeks (named Town and Mud) – Chat with a record-store owner who sold me a dirt cheap original pressing of James Brown’s SEX MACHINE and surprise the hell out of him by being a New Yorker (“but New Yorkers aren’t nice!”) – Take a photo safari in an antique mall full of cat portraits and uranium-glass chickens – Have a secret solo dinner before my work dinner because when you’re a grownup or a hobbit you can have as many dinners as you want – Read my favorite comments section on a big hotel bed in my pajamas

I am a college student. Life is so full, so busy, and sometimes, so scary. Thank you for the reminder to slow down and take it all in. A few things contributing to my joy span recently: I moved into a new house (as one does far too often in college) and there’s windows on three sides. Oh the sunlight makes my day before it even begins every day. And I live next door to a middle school. And the middle school recess/gym class spills into my yard and I wake up to the happy noises of kids being kids. I am so delighted every time! Since I was 17 and the world felt like it was caving in, I have had the sorta silly life goal of owning a couch and earlier this month I got a couch. I am very proud.

This brought tears to my eyes. I’m 41 and going through perimenopause before most of my friends and feeling a little alone in it. Those big, deep, meaning-of-life questions announce themselves with such intensity it can be overwhelming. I’ve caught myself looking around when I’m out and about like ‘is anyone else thinking this way?’ And oh my goodness there you are, Joanna, putting a finger on it. That’s just it and that’s just why. Thank you and all the lovely readers who’ve commented here for making me feel less bananas and less alone in the sweaty perimenopause of it all.

My joy spans lately? As I am now 62, I am savoring time with friends and family. A few months ago, a friend I had not seen in 48 years was in town. We had a delightful day chatting away ( our husbands did too) We had a picnic at a nearby national park in the mountains, remembering junior high teachers and classmates, laughing at the childhood memories, finding we both faced similiar challenges as children that weren’t talked about when we were kids. Later on, she texted me, saying being together brought back a part of her childhood she thought she’d forgotten!. Between a family reunion and a family wedding in one of my favorite cities in the world, I have savored being able to celebrate family and friend connections….it’s a gift. My warm fall cardigans, lced matcha lattes, and crafting time also add to the joy! Great topic Jo!

don’t ever laugh at the double glasses. it’s a thing

I was at an appointment with a real estate broker. I was dressed in a white tennis skirt and tee. Suddenly I felt a whoosh – and I dashed to the bathroom. A substantial bleed and that was the only thing I can point to as menopause. Nothing else. No sweats. No hot flashes. No unusual mood swings. It shocked me because my mother had been tortured (and torture living with her). I assumed I’d have similar. Call me lucky.

This is such a beautiful and thoughtful post, I’m in tears. I needed this. Perimenopause is really putting me through the wringer right now, and I am particularly feeling low about how it’s been making me more snippy with my family. But my life is sooo filled with joy and it’s such a worthy practice to see it and name it. My kids top the list but honorable mention to swimming, mental health walks, fall, and really good sandwiches. But also can we all agree it should be illegal to have to weather perimenopause and the Trump administration simultaneously??!

Today my small joys were: – a perfect espresso enjoyed in complete silence sans screens -making a coworker laugh so hard she cried -surprise sun streaming through trees when it was supposed to rain all day -fresh laundry -reading this post and all the comments. it felt like the world needed this today <3

One thing I am grateful to have always known is that bad things come to you uninvited. Good things usually don’t. For good things, you have to be deliberate, say yes, invite them in, celebrate. If you want your life to have more good than bad you are going to have to send out some invitations.

This post is so lovely, I can’t wait to read all the comments! In light of the topic of hormonal changes- one of my small joys started a few years ago (Season 2 of COIVD, I think) when I’d open my garage doors and plug in my toddlers star light and play throw back hits on a speaker while friends would dance and shoutsing away their stress. We call it Perimenopause Dance Party and it’s the best. Anyone can come (some have joined from walking by on the street) and there’s no RSVP cause everyone brings their own drink/snack. That way I never stress to host and no one has to decide until that day what they feel like doing. At my age, there nothing better than moving your body unselfconsciously to not too loud music before 10 pm!

So beautiful!

So timely for Rosh Hashanah! I’ve been thinking a lot about the New Year and what will come. The idea of a joy-span makes the uncertainty of it all feel less heavy.

Freddie in two pairs of glasses is somehow everything!

Also joys this week – sitting at a dark underground bar with my teen eating tacos then going to see the musical Annie. It was the best!

I saw some new pictures of Scarlett Johansson this morning looking so gorgeous, and then you here looking equally so gorgeous! I think the joys may be manifesting visibly.

I’ve had five hard years in a row. Every year, I keep thinking, surely this is the year the tides change for me? Surely I’m due for some better luck? Alas, there’s no bargaining with the universe. There aren’t as many big joys in my life right now, so I appreciate the small joys even more: – My sister’s dog has chosen me as his person of choice to nap on when I’m at their house – My mom makes an absolutely perfect ginger crinkle – I recently moved and my new public library is down the street in a 200-year-old converted church – My teenage nephews keep me up-to-date on the latest in Gen Z slang, which I do not repeat for fear of being cringe – On quiet nights, I can hear the church bells ring across town (it’s a small place) – I recently bought a pair of saddle shoes, which I haven’t worn since I was a little girl

So timely! We had a hard couple of days — I missed calls from both of my children’s schools today (one in response to a bullying incident yesterday in which my sweet 11yo redheaded son was called a leprechaun. Really?!?? The other about my daughter getting weirdly injured in art class today)… Anyway… our beloved library hosts therapy dogs each week for kids to read to, which is such a gift for this “not a pet person” mom of a dog-loving girl (of the art injury today). After school today, we walked in to the library and the librarians just beamed at us, welcomed my daughter by name, and gave us double time to pet the sweet dog and it just about moved me to tears

I love all the joys that you shared. I also find that as I am getting older, I find more joy in the simple things and want to focus on them. At the same time, when I was younger, and I heard those a generation above me say things like, I just want to have a good time, I just want everyone to be happy and get along, to just be joyful, I felt really frustrated. People are genuinely hurt by difficult things and it feels dismissive for someone to brush aside difficult parts to just feel the good parts. I love that you find joy in small things, just the being in life – and yet you can still hold space for all of the aspects of life. Perhaps your ability to hold all aspects of life, even the difficult ones, is what helps you find such joy in the small things. Here’s to small joys for all of us!

I had cancer as a teenager and nearly died, and while I wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone, it gave me a profound and daily appreciation for being alive and especially for the simple pleasures that are so easy to take for granted. It is a gift I got too early but a perspective I am so grateful for. At nearly 40, I feel the silver lining of having years and years of deep appreciation for the simple pleasures–the small things, they are the big things. My children laughing, the feel of their little bodies feet and legs are arms thrown around me in bed, the smell of a tomato in the garden, reading a good book on a rainy night, sitting in a circle of my girlfriends, the sun on my face, the scent of pine needles in the mountains. It is such a gift to be alive and in this world.

– When my husband surprises me by bringing me coffee in bed – Getting to tell my various medical providers I’m pregnant when I go for a visit and they ask if I have any medical updates since my last visit (I don’t know why but this one has weirdly sparked more joy than telling friends and family lol) – When my neighbor knocks on the door to drop off half a package of Costco muffins, or some pineapple buns she was gifted while visiting a friend in Chinatown, or a package of frozen pupusas because they were the free item at Safeway that week – Watching my cats dash to the window the first time I open it after a long winter – The way one of my cats sits in the window with his nose aloft and eyes closed, leaning into the screen and catching every breeze and smell. When we first got him, he was terrified to even go near the windows, with all their unpredictable sights and sounds! It’s a barometer of how much more comfortable and confident he’s become and it really brings me joy to see that it’s something that brings him so much contentedness now.

Oh I love this! When my girls were little I started sitting down with them and making “Joy Lists”. Laying in a sun spot, making things for others, snuggling Mama, Mary Poppins (them.) Holding hands, making leaf spirals every autumn in our backyard, family game night, biscuits fresh from the oven (me) I also keep a running note on my phone titled simply: Joy Notes.

Gah, writing like this is just like a breath of air ❤️

My small joys: Laughing my ass off with my husband. We recently had a date night where we made nachos, drank cannabis drinks, and watched one of his favorite movies that I’ve been scared to watch (Terrifier). We ended up goofing and laughing all night long. This date night honestly wasn’t much different from other nights, but just enjoying each other’s company and laughter was such a balm. We both mentioned the next day how much fun we had. Reading a book that you just can’t put down. My friends and I started a musical group where each month we meet up and watch 1-2 musicals. It’s become something I look forward to and I always have so much fun. A chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven. Anything in which I can channel my creativity. I’m a librarian and I get such a joy from seeing library regulars when I’m out running errands. Stopping to say hi and chat is always so nice. Road trips. Finally — cats! We recently had to put down our only cat and the house has been so quiet and lonely. An opportunity has presented itself for us to adopt two 8 week old sister kittens. We’re meeting them this weekend!

I was just reflecting on glimmers recently! -making brown sugar lattes at home -reading a good romance book that has me giggling and kicking my feet -my 4 yr old son making me laugh – To see him develop a sense of humor and comedic timing, on top of all the zany things he says all day, keeps me constantly laughing -acupuncture – It’s been a godsend to help manage my hormonal issues, anxiety and even cosmetic acupuncture for an extra plumping glow to my face! -watching The Summer I Turned Pretty with my bff – It’s such a silly show but what a joy its been to share this with my bestie and feel like teenagers again

In deep perimenopause, too. Simple joys? Spending time with my husband and our son. We don’t have to be doing something expensive or even outside the house. Just being with them brings me so much joy. Seeing friends for lunch or even just a phone call. Reading in my cold bed at night (the only way to sleep when you’re peri) and eating some Costco S’more chocolate clusters.

Our dog April is the sweetest. I love how she gets no a treat and is determined to bury it in a really good spot. She cries while searching. Then she will jump up on my daughter and be digging at my daughter’s hoodie to put in the pocket or just on her and she thinks or behind my husband while he is sitting on the couch and she thinks , ahhh,…good…the perfect spot. And satisfied curls up and goes to sleep. We are finding treats in the funniest locations.

I called my dad tonight while I was making dinner for my kids. Thank you for the nudge.