Sparks of joy

I don't know about you, but I could sure use some

Bouquet gifted by my 4YO

Over the last few months, I’ve needed a serious energy shakeup. The tools and resources I’ve depended on to get me through heavier and darker seasons have felt dull and useless. It could be the Paris winters — dark, gray, and cold. It could be the unanchored feeling from an international move coupled with pausing my career. It could be *gestures broadly at everything*. Put all of this together, and it’s a hell of a cocktail.

So, not one to wallow around for too long, I decided to mix things up. While I’ve had a daily morning gratitude practice for a couple of years, it wasn’t enough for this season. I wanted some way to reflect on the small, typically unnoticed moments throughout the day that sparked joy and light. So, I’ve been closing my day by journaling on these little sparks for the last few months. These little sparks don’t banish the weight of the world, but they do bring so much light even for just a moment.

I thought I’d share a few of these sparks with you:

• deep belly laughs at the end of a long, lingering meal

• salted caramel made from French butter straight out of the jar

• the first sip of morning coffee, extra points if it’s in silence

• an unexpected “thinking of you” message

• the payoff of a new cooking adventure

• the comfort of a homey meal you’ve cooked a million times

• finding an extra bag of Bucky’s gummy bears from your dad IYKYK

• the first hug from a friend you haven’t seen in too long

• the last puzzle piece

• butter

• witnessing a 4-year-old’s mind figuring out the world

• the sweet grief of finishing the perfect book

• brand new notebooks

• the epic ramblings of a 2-year-old no one can understand

• anything by candlelight

• fresh out of the oven pain au chocolat

• to see someone and be seen by someone

• fun plans with new friends

• the occasional canceled plan, too

• sunshine, any sunshine

• finding the perfect pen

• chubby baby fingers wrapped around mine

• an unexpected vibrant sunset

• silence

• catching the daffodils preparing for spring

I can’t help that the majority of these are food related, I am who I am. And no, none of these fleeting moments have magically fixed the world, but they are a salve that I can return to again and again.

A few of these moments

✨If you have a spark of joy from this past week to share, drop it in the comments. I’m sure we can all use a little extra light as we head into this new week.

Until next time,

P.S. If you missed my post last week, I shared some of my favorite Substack writers, covering topics such as food, life and living, living abroad, politics, culture and society, and more. Check it out, and maybe you’ll find something new to read!