Tiny Joys
Or, Glimmer List 2.0
One little goal I’ve set for myself recently is to find joy in the everyday. You may have noticed this theme throughout my posts for the last few months or so. I’ve always been a fairly positively-minded person, but even us optimists can sometimes have a hard go of things for awhile, and the best thing to do then is to start looking for and noticing the good. My little Betsy is a born expert at this (I really think everyone is, at least until we’re taught not to be), and I’m always trying to learn whatever she has to teach me—which is a lot. People with Down Syndrome have a reputation for always being happy, and in general that’s kinda true, but they do feel all the emotions just like the rest of us, so it’s not really fair to stereotype them this way.
Back in February I wrote my first Glimmer List post, an idea I got from fellow Substacker Renee Fleming. There I made a list of all kinds of random things that had recently brought joy into my life. I highly recommend this picking up this practice yourself, it will surely make a difference! If you’d like to check out that original post, it can be found right here:
I’m seriously considering doing these Glimmer Lists here on the regular, as they bring me joy and maybe (hopefully) they do for you, too. Let me know what you think in the comments! I got the title for today’s entry from an account I follow on Instagram called the Tiny Joy Project, and the flowery graphic above came from them, as does some of the material I include in my Meme Drops. I recommend following accounts like theirs on social media (if that’s a thing you do) to help shape a positive mindset.
Anyway—here’s my newest Glimmer List! There’s a significant chance that at least a few will be repeats from last time.
Sitting in the grass with Betsy after breakfast. We’ve been doing this regularly lately, getting a few minutes of grounding and sunlight in most days, and it has been sooooo good for both of us!
The other day Miranda (my 16-year-old) had me laughing uncontrollably just after 6 a.m. (which is not a thing I do) by telling me about a dream she’d had. I can’t possibly tell it like she did and have you laughing the same way, but in her dream, her boyfriend had used AI to create pictures of their future children—a set of twins (boy and girl) named Randy and Mazda.
A fairly recent haircut and new glasses making me feel so much more like myself—and much prettier!
Curling up in bed while a larger-than-life blond cat sleeps next to my head, purring.
Song recommendations from friends
Getting to spend time with friends I haven’t seen in awhile. I got to do that not once, but twice this week. Huzzah!
Finding the perfect dress. Miranda went to her junior prom last month, and we found her the most Mirandish dress I have ever seen. Fit her like it was made for her, perfect colors and design, met everything on her wishlist and more, and was even the least expensive dress she tried on, to boot! She looked absolutely stunning. And in true Miranda form, she paired it with fishnet hose and glittery Converse Chuck Taylors. She and her boyfriend had a wonderful time! And she left a glitter trail in her wake.
Grounding shoes! You may have noticed my obsession with grounding lately, and my sister did, too! She got me a pair of grounding sandals for my birthday and I love them.
Learning to make meeting my own basic needs non-negotiable. This morning I actually set my alarm and got up earlier than Betsy (it’s usually my habit to not wake up until she does) and took my shower first thing, rather than waiting until a more convenient time of day (or the point where I just can’t take being unshowered any longer). Not too long after I got out, I could hear her babbling in the next room, awake at last. It felt good to prioritize that shower.
Good hair days! Since the aforementioned hair cut a few weeks back (meaning all the dead ends and uneven stuff got chopped off), I have a lot more good hair days. And I don’t feel like it looks like a rat’s nest anymore!
Butterflies. I see them everywhere, especially Yellow Swallowtails. I love them so much. Spring is wonderful.
Watermelon flavored Poppi sodas. I love those drinks in general, but watermelon is my favorite. They’re harder to find (maybe they’re everyone’s favorite), but when I do it is such a score!
Watching Betsy’s progress in Speech Therapy. Ian and I had a brief meeting this week with the director who runs the speech program she’s in, and we learned a lot about how she’s doing and how we can help, but also other resources available to us that we can use. We can definitely see improvement in her, and I’m so proud of our little girl!
Chips made with avocado oil. I am a sucker for potato chips (tortilla chips, too), especially crazy-flavored ones, but I usually don’t eat them because it’s hard to find chips not made with seed oils. Seed oils are really, horribly bad for you. Well lately, it’s significantly less hard to find chips made with healthy oils, because of the recent avocado oil trend. I love avocado oil, and there are sooo many companies listening to their customers and using better ingredients. I particularly love Kettle Brand, Siete, and Better Goods chips. Healthier snacks that taste delicious absolutely make my day!
That’s it for this Glimmer List! I hope you can relate to some of these things and they’ve made you think of your own glimmers. I’d love to hear some of yours! Please leave me a comment and share them with the class!
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