it's the little things that keep us going

Hi again!

It's already been over a week since you heard from me last, but whatever crud is going around hit me like a freight train last week which left me with zero creative juices flowing. But I'm feeling much better now and during my week of being sick and tired and working, I came to the realization that what's been keeping me going lately is the little things.

And while that's probably not a new realization to most people, it brightened my eyes a bit last week as I kept my chin up trying to work, pack for my move this weekend, and more.

Hopefully, with this list of little things, you can find a few of your own to share. Here are a few of the little things bringing me joy lately (so maybe you can see the little things as a reminder of joy this week, too):

• My dog(s) asleep in my work chair when I come back from making a tea between meetings
• Coworkers (who are also my dear friends) holding each other up in challenging times -- we all have stuff going on, but we truly lean on each other when we need it and we are always held up by our crew!
• Making the perfect cup of matcha to start my day (I've been weaning myself off of Earl Grey every morning first thing and I'm loving my new tea routine -- do you have any favorite teas?)
• My daily check-ins with my team -- Cam McLean had the great idea for us to switch from weekly to daily team check-ins and I can wholeheartedly say it brings a smile to my face to see everyone and hear about their day every morning
• Writing thoughts in my iPhone notes for future newsletters or writings
• Watching two woodpeckers hang out together on our patio -- summer isn't over here in Arizona, but we are all manifesting better weather!
• Spending 15 minutes (or more) a day reading! Also, I've been on the Kindle decorating game and have enjoyed the brief moments of bliss that come with being creative in other formats

I hope you find some little things this week to keep the joy going for you, too.

September Celebrations ~

Happy Gotcha Day to two of my best gals!

While September is quickly slipping through my fingers, I realized I haven't properly celebrated my two dogs, Moe and Rory, as we hit another milestone of Gotcha Days this month.

September 3rd, 2022: I picked up Moe at a gas station after being dumped by her owner right before my eyes. She made the rest of my trip memorable and was an absolute monster for most of her first year with us, but now she is all settled in and living her best life (aka eating snacks and taking naps).

September 23rd, 2016: I adopted Rory from a local kill-shelter in Monroe, Louisiana. I didn't realize it at the time but this one decision changed the trajectory of my whole life. She is my first dog as an adult and has been stuck to me like glue since day one. She's now almost 11 years old and still enjoys going outside and hanging out with her mom every day.

Happy Gotcha Days to my best pupperonis! We will be celebrating with lots of treats and snuggles this week.

I'm on substack now!

One of the things I wanted to commit to this year was getting back into writing. The last year has been crazy busy and I've let my writing fall to the wayside for far too long. So now I'm back at it (both here on LinkedIn and on substack!).

You can now subscribe to my substack, lessons from dogs (and other creatures), to hear stories from me and others about how animals help shape our worlds.

You can subscribe and read my first newsletter on substack here !

What's next?

As I look at the next month, I see so much opportunity to connect and learn from people and places. I've been booking out some travel (which I'll share about in a later newsletter) and looking forward to cooler temps here in the desert.

October is looming and my plan is to get everything squared away and organized as we go into the last quarter of the year and into 2025. We have some major projects coming up at work that I can't wait to share more about once we are past some milestones to talk about the challenges and joys that come with them.

For now, since this is a bit different from previous newsletters, I'd love to hear from you! I would love to see your list of little things that are bringing you joy as the seasons are transitioning and hear about what you're looking forward to in October.

Leave a comment on the thread of this newsletter post or send me a direct message. It's always good to hear from you!