Last summer, as part of adding some fun into my days I subscribed to two monthly boxes.

One of them was a collection of snacks which was fun for a while but ended up not being as tasty for me so we stopped it a few months ago.

The other one was @ipsy which is a makeup sampler set. You get 5 items each month for $12. You can take a survey first so it’s more catered to your skin/hair etc.

I don’t wear makeup often and know nothing about skin care or how to put make up on to be honest. But I’ve still loved getting this little surprise in the mail each month. Because of what I prioritized I have received a lot of moisturizers and great brushes which I had none of. And now I’m slowly building a small stash of lipstick, blush and other things. Looking at this makes me happy which is a lot to say cause I usually hate waste and things that I don’t use but this doesn’t look like waste to me it just looks like possibility which is super fun.

I’ve also just started following them and I love everything this company is about so that’s just a complete added bonus that I hadn’t anticipated.

now I just have to start watching some videos and learn how to use all these products. I love the fact that it’s all small samples so I can use them and then decide if I like them and go all in. This is not an ad. I just put all my stash together today and realized how happy this little thing is still making me.

So here’s to small happinesses today. Finding ways to add a little bit of color and joy to these bleakish days.

Yes to adventures and fun with make up and skin care!

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes

Today at work we had a half a day summit which was about recharging. I’ve had so much work lately that I thought it would be ridiculous to spend half a day talking about recharging instead of just getting my darn work done.

I was so wrong.

The event was so inspiring and calming and relaxing that I felt good all day and I still have a lot of work and it will still all get done. I’m glad I took some time out today and listened to smart and thoughtful people.

I need more of that in my life.

There’s always more work. It’s like sand, it fills into all the moments I have in my life so it’s my job to create space for what I want first and then let sand take over the rest.

Yes to being inspired. Yes to creating space.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes

I miss life before covid. At this point, I miss it every single day. I am tired of the sameness of every single day. Wake up, exercise, meetings, bed. Very few other things in the middle and mostly the same food every day.

So tired.

And if I could change it, I would do so without question.

And yet, I am so grateful to get to spend a bit more time with my kids. I would not have wished this upon them in any way. And I also know that in a matter of minutes they will be grown up and gone, creating and living and hopefully thriving in lives of their own.

So, amidst this terrible experience, I am grateful for a little more togetherness with these people I love so much.

Yes to togetherness, yes to seeing their smiley faces and getting hugs in the middle of the day.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes

Since we’ve started working from home, my workplace has been doing small and big gestures to try to make working from home smoother.

Last week, they sent me an email saying that they noticed my computer was really old and asking if I would like a new one. I was delighted and went ahead and ordered the newer computer which came on Friday.

I then spent most of the day feverishly trying to setup my new computer to be like my old one. I moved over all the files, installed the apps I use, re-set the screensaver and background, fixed up my dock so it looks the way I want.

Since it’s been a few years, some of my apps wouldn’t work. And the many, many stickers I had on my cover would no longer come off. I spent hours trying to solve both of these problems.

But I could not.

Frustrated, I put it all aside and didn’t touch it all weekend. And now I am sitting here and thinking that maybe there’s a lesson here for me. Maybe this is a moment in time where I get to take a step back and start over and let some of what I’ve been carrying go.

Even if it’s an app I’ve come to rely on or a sticker I love, maybe it’s healthy to just let things go occasionally and start over. With new routines and new favorites and a fresh outlook.

A new start.

Maybe I don’t have to carry it all to my next phase. Maybe this creates the space to figure out what I want to pick up next. And maybe this is the universe nudging me to let go.

Yes to letting it go and yes to letting it be.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes