Life is heavy.
Some days feel like molassesâslow, sticky, hard to move through.
Other days are loud and overwhelming and tangled with grief, anxiety, and exhaustion.
But in the middle of all of it, Iâve found little things.
Small joys. Tiny lifelines.
Moments that donât fix anything but make the hard days a little less hard.
And right now? These are the little joys that are saving me.
â Cinnamon Apple with Caramel Tea
Cold or hot, this is my comfort in a cup.
It smells like peace and tastes like calm.
Some days, itâs the only thing that grounds me.
It tells my body, âYouâre safe here.â
đž A Starbucks Pink Drink
A treat. A splurge. A small rebellion against the day.
Itâs sweet, itâs cold, and it feels like a breath of summer when everything else feels gray.
đș Drama That Has Nothing to Do With My Life
Give me Real Housewives, The Bachelor, Yellowstone, or The Handmaidâs Tale.
Seriouslyâthese shows help me focus on something else.
Something completely removed from my own life.
They are my escape.
Even Real Housewives arenât living anything close to reality, and thatâs the point.
I donât need more âreal.â
I need something to distract the spinning thoughtsâand sometimes that means diving headfirst into someone elseâs scripted chaos.
đ¶ââïž Walks on the Bike Path
As long as I can let my imagination run wild, I will find peace.
The sound of leaves underfoot.
The scent of something blooming mixed with fresh cut grass.
The way the wind feels when I pause and just breathe.
The way the sun feels on my face and eyelids.
Sometimes, I narrate silly animal stories for my kids.
We imagine deer who are dramatic and squirrels who gossip.
It makes them laugh.
And when they laugh?
Something inside me softens.
đŒ Blooming Flowers
Spring brings reminders that things can grow again.
Even after cold, after darkness, after lossâsomething beautiful can still bloom. In fact, when we lost Garet, an online friend sent me spring flower bulbs. And when those bloom, it is like a warm hug from Garet and her both.
And that helps me keep going.
đ Silly Conversations
I love rattling off silly questions to the kids.
Giving human qualities to the animals in the woods.
We talk about what the raccoons are gossiping about, or what kind of job the bunnies would have.
We look for the fairy bunk beds (because that is what they are-they are NOT fungi growing on the tree!)
We laugh.
And laughing with them makes my heart ache in the best kind of way.
Because I still get to have these moments. And they matter.
đ„č Asking âWhat Was Your Favorite Part of Today?â
This one grounds us.
It pulls us out of the hard stuff and back into the light.
It reminds us that even on the messiest daysâsomething good happened.
And we can name it.
đ§đŒ Giggles From My Grandbabies
If youâve ever heard your grandchild belly laugh⊠you already know.
Itâs like the whole world stops for a second.
And all you feel is joy.
đż Joy Doesnât Have to Be Big to Be Real
None of these little joys are life-changing.
But theyâre life-supporting.
They are the moments that help me keep breathing.
Keep healing.
Keep choosing to stay in this world, even when itâs hard.
So if youâre having a heavy dayâlook for the soft things.
The funny thing. The warm thing. The sweet or weird or nostalgic thing.
Thatâs where the light lives.
Thatâs where we start again.
đŹ What Little Joys Are Saving You Right Now?
Tell me one. Or ten. Or none at all.
Just know this: if today was hard, and you still found something small to smile about?
That matters.
You matter.
You aren’t alone. We are in this together.
Light and Love ~Mandy
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