Things that bring me joy lately

I almost titled this “little” things that bring me joy. But you know what? The happiness provided is big.

New tattoos.

In July, I got a little Wisconsin badger on my upper arm. I followed him up with a gorgeous jumping spider (inspired by Children of Time) and bat (homage to Thomas Nagel’s famous What Is It Like to Be a Bat? essay).

A few weeks later my sister convinced me and my mom to get matching star, moon, and sun patterns—growing up we said “love you to the moon and back” so many times the words imprinted on every surface of my childhood home.

My niece’s antics.

Olive “milks” my mom’s therapy dog by moving her hands rhythmically through the air beneath Margo’s belly. She names illustrations of dogs with pointy ears (even the teeny, tiny one adorning the copyright in her Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book) “Scout”. She pulls back my shirtsleeves to serenade my new arachnid tattoo with a rousing chorus of The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Moving our blog to Substack.

This is (obviously) still a work in progress—but I already feel so much relief knowing once I get through the initial transition period, it will be easier than ever to manage supporter subscriptions. I want to focus on my words! Not WordPress plugins and dev details and whether or not someone is struggling to access content they paid me for.

Freelance pitches.

I sent my very first freelance magazine pitches in early July. This time last week saw me feeling discouraged—I had yet to hear back from any editors—but within the last six days I’ve finalized two assignments!

I love writing for myself here on Paws and Reflect, and I love my existing content marketing freelance clients, but I’m excited to broaden my scope. Snagging a few fresh bylines doesn’t hurt.

Slow mornings in a slow summer.

We arrived in Wisconsin on July 11th. By the time we finally leave our home state, we’ll have been here for ten weeks! We haven’t traveled this slowly—or spent this much consecutive time with family and friends—since moving into Hermes.

I’m itching to get back on the road (we’re daydreaming about where we’ll spend the fall) but appreciate the last two month’s relaxed pace. We wake up early to spend a few hours with Scout before heading inside to see whoever we’re visiting. (Crisp mornings remind me why even snowbirds love Midwestern summers.) We enjoy long showers. (I still don’t use shampoo, but I won’t turn down unlimited hot water.) At my parents’ house, we take full advantage of the hot tub. At Sean’s, we feast like royalty. Above all, we embrace hours and hours and hours with loved ones: my toddler niece, our parents, siblings, college friends, all the pets.

I love staying with family—but still having my own house, our trusty bright-yellow van, to retreat to when needed. It is the best of both worlds.

Instagram.

Last and probably least, but surprisingly true: Social media has been filling my cup more than draining it. Lighthearted “good morning to everyone, especially” videos feel right. I’ve gotten to work with a few brands and nonprofits I seriously love. Many things about Instagram still frustrate me—lack of nuance in viral posts, ad hominem chucked from the safety of anonymous handles, confusing algorithm choices—but I’m overthinking less.