And here we are, we made it to the end of July. With that, comes the end of the break I’ve been taking from work for the last three months. I am so grateful for this time I’ve had and also grateful for how I spent it.

This months intention was to Invite Joy: Create some adventure. Go places. Do things. Hug your people. Take chances. 

I didn’t actually go anywhere or do much. I did hug my people. I read a lot. I painted a lot. I loved spending my time this way.

Here are some goals I had for July:

• continue to draw, sketch, paint or do some artistic endeavor as often as I can – done and done
• try to eat fresh food – i’d say this is mostly done too
• do most of of HCOTF – i did most of it
• support N with his camps + classes – i did this though it fell apart a bit
• support D with essays + driving – did this too, as much as he wanted
• Journal daily – did this!
• Read a lot – so much
• Support J – did this too, to the best of my ability
• continue medication – done
• Continue documenting the joy – done
• Love my people – love them so very much
• Scrap and OLW – i did both of these
• Go outdoors, sit outside, be in the sunshine – i didn’t sit outside as much as before, but it’s been ok
• dive deeper into ease, release, equanimity, space, possibility and see what you might want to do for each. ( still haven’t done this ) – still haven’t done this, not sure what that means
• remember that it’s all bonus – i have, i’ve remembered this
• Be ok with not getting much done, rest. – i’ve also rested so very much
• be in the present moment, don’t count down the days – i would say i’ve also done a reasonably decent job of this
• Also I got shots for my hip pain. I got the CPAP machine.

I was originally not supposed to have all of July off but my doctor recommended that I do and I am so grateful that she did. It was the right call. I finally feel fully wound down, and optimistic and looking forward to integrating work into my life again. Here’s hoping it’s a positive experience.

I will continue to try take it each one day at a time and look for the joy again and again. Because I know that I already have all I need and want. Everything else is bonus.

I’m ready for you August.

May was a busy month with a lot of commitments, a lot of social time and a lot of rushing around. By the end of the month, I felt really burned out and needed large amounts of quiet time. I took what I needed to ensure I could rebuild my energy.

This months intention was to Deep Joys: Take some time. Be still. Listen to the whispers of your soul. Hug your people. Dig deep and see what brings you deep joy.

I definitely hugged my people and spent a bunch of time being still. I had a few days of complete alone time though I didn’t spend a lot of time digging deep. But that’s ok. I spent time with my parents. I went to Boston and I did a lot of painting.

Here are some goals I had for May:

• continue to draw daily – finish out the 100-day project – Done
• Go back to nourish plans/list – or at least make progress – didn’t really do this I’d say
• do most of of HCOTF – also did a poor job with this in May, there was too much going on
• Jeff’s graduation in Boston – did this
• Parents here – spent a lot of time with my parents
• Support J – spent a lot of time on this, too.
• celebrate Nathaniel’s birthday party – yep was lovely.
• connect with at least 6 friends – connected with a lot of people in May
• help D and N – done
• journal – daily!
• Continue documenting the joy – daily too!
• Love my people – loved my people so so hard.
• read more, still. – i really upped my reading game in may
• Scrap and OLW – i did some of this but not a lot tbh
• Go climbing – here, too, some but not a lot lot.
• dive deeper into ease, release, equanimity, space, possibility and see what you might want to do for each. – didn’t do this one.
• figure out linode and cloud stuff for email. – i did the cloud stuff but not linode
• take care of karenika email – done
• find a class to take – done, i took a may challenge and signed up for 5 things.
• work on a daily practice of giving yourself grace – likely would get a B- on this one but working on it.
• Be ok with not getting much done, rest. – i tried to do this especially at the end of the month.

May was relatively hard for me, too. I spent a lot of time with my parents, traveled to Boston, and then socialized a lot. I was very tired and worn out about two thirds of the way and gave myself a lot of grace. It was supposed to be one of my two off months and I think it was more hectic than I would have liked. But I took some hard steps. I started taking care of myself. Doing what’s needed and I am proud of myself. I am letting myself rest.

I will continue to try take it each one day at a time and look for the joy again and again. Because I know that joy is possible in each and every moment.

Here’s to hoping June is full of joy.

March went more quickly than I’d anticipated. Usually March is one of the longest months of the year for me, it drags and drags and drags. This year, I took nine days of carer’s leave during this month and I think it really helped.

This months intention was to Choose Joy:  This is usually your hardest month. No break, still too cold. It feels hard to make it through this month but you can. Choose joy. Look at your list from February.  Keep going.

I tried really hard to choose Joy this month. It was a really hard month for me and I had some really low moments but I kept pushing through and worked hard to take what I needed as well as being there for my people.

Here are some goals I had for March:

• continue to draw daily: i did this everyday
• Go back to nourish plans/list: i did not do this, most of the plans around nourish are in tatters at this pont
• do all of HCOTF – i did all but 2-3 this month
• help N finish CDB – we submitted, cross fingers
• continue to support J – doubled down on this one
• make plans for spring break – done, Pgh, Boston, Chicago here we come
• finish all the taxes – also done, about to mail them off
• reach out to people and figure things out – i think, done here too, so grateful
• take a class – yep did “story of self” and loved it
• help David with summer options – working on this
• Find some summer options for N – did this too
• journal – did some but not as much as i wish i could
• Step away from sugar and gluten for a while – totally did not do this one
• Continue documenting the joy – did this
• Take time off – did this
• Connect with friends at least 2 times, ideally 4 – hmm did at least two likely 3
• Love my people – loved them madly
• read more, still. – i did read more in march but still not as much as usual
• Scrap and catch up to OLW – did this
• Get ready to go back to work – well can i ever be ready?
• Pick an option – did this, i think, waiting on others
• Go climbing – yep 1-2 times a week
• Go on at least 2 dates with J
• dive deeper into ease, release, equanimity, space, possibility and see what you might want to do for each. – did not do this, maybe i can try a bit this coming week or in April
• prepare for N’s birthday – halfway there
• figure out linode and cloud stuff for email. – totally did not do this, i tried though

I feel pretty good about what I accomplished in March. I booked 7 plane tickets, I booked two summer camps, I booked 2 car rentals, 1 hotel, finished taxes, booked 4 college tours, did a million hours of perf, reached out, showed up and leaned in. I worked hard both for myself and for others this month. I am proud of myself.

April through mid-May will be incredibly eventful for me. I am not a fan of change and I don’t really like busy days but alas both are in store for me. I will be traveling, a lot. Three trips to the other end of United States. Five planes in six days. Back to the office. Changes at work. Family all around. A lot at once after not having done anything for two years. I am quite scared of it all and have a bunch of anxiety but I am trying to remind myself that I will take it all one day at a time and look for the joy again and again. Because I know that joy is possible in each and every moment.

Here’s to hoping April is full of joy.

January did not go as expected this year.

My goals at the beginning of the month/year were as they often are:

• Start OLW
• Really lean into nourishing yourself, make a plan, templates
• Do more art
• Step away from sugar and gluten for a while
• Start noticing the joy
• Get organized at work
• Journal more
• Love my people
• Find something to learn
• Connect to others

While I did do many of these, many others also fell by the wayside. I had a positive covid test about halfway through the month and that meant that I spent the next two weeks isolated in my room, managing both family and work from there. I am grateful that no one else in my family got sick, that I recovered pretty quickly and experienced very few symptoms.

But it still threw a bit wrench into my January plans, of course.

Though it also came with a lot of reflection around life, priorities, what matters most, etc. Always good to have a solid perspective on those.

I still feel pretty good about January and feel deeply grateful for my life. I’ve been practicing noticing joy and do daily work to release, step into ease and create space in my life. I definitely can lean more into both space and possibility. And I wish I’d made time for art and journaling.

Here’s to hoping February is full of joy.