What Makes a Good Day?
A year ago today I naively booked a non-refundable flight to Albania for June 2020. It is a bit embarrassing that even with all the news about coronavirus by that point, I still had not realized what a big impact it would have on our lives in the year...
The Joys of a Staycation
I had been meaning to do a staycation for years but somehow I always ended up planning a trip instead. Since I’ve taken a hiatus from travel due to the pandemic, my vacation days at work have been piling up and I pretty much had no choice but to...
Getting Out of a Funk
For the first five months of the pandemic, I was doing surprisingly well. I had a few concerned friends checking in on me since I live alone but amazingly I was thriving during quarantine. My heart aches for everyone who has faced illness, loss, financial hardship, or other challenges,...
How a Health Crisis Led to More Gratitude
During college, I spent a semester in London for a study-abroad program. I was lucky to have other friends studying in Paris so we reunited to celebrate Thanksgiving together. During dinner, we went around and each said what we were grateful for. My friend who went last said she...
Finding Joy and Connection in the Face of Pain
I’ve been immersed in some great podcasts and books this week that have been very nourishing and I wanted to share some nuggets. These past few months have been tough on our collective nervous systems, with the unrelenting news cycle on pandemic deaths, unprecedented job losses, economic and health...
What I’ve Learned from Two Decades of Keeping a Journal
I had tried many times to keep a diary as a kid but always gave up after one or two entries. But during my freshman year of college, I finally tried a journal on my computer and that has now continued for 21 years. I joke that it is...