What Little Things Have Brought You Joy Lately?
10 small things that put smiles on our faces, including PJ's new morning ritual and a weekend luxury. Plus, the podcast that makes us laugh out loud and my new summer read.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that zooming in on the small, every day details is my favorite thing to do. I find the simple (some might say mundane or boring) aspects of a daily routine to be the most fascinating and usually the most worthwhile. Dropping the kids off at school, running out to check the PO Box, going to the gym, picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy, cleaning up around the house, watching TV with the family in the living room. All of these little tasks are what make up a life, and are far more common than anything else, so why not give them just as much love and admiration as the big moments?
Of course I love a vacation to the beach or a milestone like the first day of school, but I realized years ago that you can’t just live for and appreciate only those moments. For me, giving the little moments of every day just as much importance and weight as the big ones allows me to see life in a fun, romantic, and meaningful way. I know it can’t (and doesn’t) work for everyone, but it’s how I choose to see the world and it brings me so much fulfillment. I have found life is more beautiful when you romanticize as much of it as you can.
A few weeks ago, I started keeping track of the little things that have brought me joy lately. As I wrote them down, I realized how much I desperately need to focus on things that bring me happiness because it’s averaging 97 degrees every day here in Tennessee, and as someone who much prefers crisp, cool weather, I am kind of miserable when I have to be outside for longer than five minutes. And after going over the list, I was happy to notice there were so many other moments that didn’t even make the top 10: The way Anna smiles with her missing teeth, how good it feels to come back home after a long trip, how much fun it is to get together with your friends you haven’t seen in a while. There are just so many little things to be grateful for in life, even if it feels like nothing is going right or we keep messing up. If we look hard enough, we’re sure to find something worth remembering.
SO, in an attempt to focus on the glimmers in life, here a few of mine:
A fun karaoke night
We have a bluetooth speaker my brother got us years ago that lives in our upstairs landing, and for the past few weeks, PJ will hook a mic up to it and will sing karaoke. I will hear him from downstairs and then I’ll pour myself a glass of wine, walk upstairs, and join him for a few songs, but mostly just sit on the couch and watch him do his thing (which is my favorite). The kids will eventually join us and we’ll all sing mostly a bunch of Taylor Swift songs. But our current favorite karaoke song? A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozy.
A relaxing morning ritual
PJ has been trying something new in the mornings to start his day off on the right foot and to rewire his brain. Here are the three things he has been doing every morning as soon as he wakes up (so proud of him):