Year of Yes – March Recap

If you’re new here, my OneWord for 2020 is YES. In the interest of staying accountable to my year of YES, I am providing a monthly recap of how I am doing. Click here for January’s Year of YES recap and here for February’s recap. 

Well, March didn’t go AT ALL how I had planned (and I know I’m not alone in that reality). I had a lot of plans for new things I was going to say YES to this month. Trips to museums, a book club that focused on African-American authors, a reunion with friends, and the list goes on. I was excited about all the possibilities in front of me.

And then the coronavirus came to town. People started to get sick, businesses began closing, and a mandatory shelter-in-place went in effect. In the process, most of my March plans went up in smoke.

So, this month’s recap is going to look different. One of the main objectives for this year of YES is to discover the things that bring me joy. Back in February, I started a practice of writing down a moment of joy from each day.

For this month’s recap, I’m sharing a few of the things that brought me joy in March. This practice has become even more important as this pandemic stretches on indefinitely.

Open windows

March brought warmer temperatures to the Carolinas and I open up my windows almost every day. This simple act has brought me so much joy. I have a bay window in my living room and many days I sit on my couch letting the fresh air wash over me. Plus, every morning I get a private symphony as nature wakes up outside my bedroom window.

A weighted blanket

One thing that has most surprised me about sheltering in place is how much I’ve missed people. That sounds strange I know but I’m an introvert. I like my own company. I like staying at home. Any day I don’t have to leave the house is a good day.

But now with the pandemic, I’m not around other humans as much. And I came to realize that I missed the sensory experience of engaging with other people. The hugs, the high-fives, the fist bumps. I found myself missing all of it. Enter a weighted blanket.

I’ve wanted a weighted blanket for a while now. And this seemed like the perfect time to try one out. This is the one I got and I absolutely LOVE it. From the moment I first draped it over me, I’ve not wanted to get out from under it. It doesn’t replace the human connection, but the extra sensory stimulation has been helpful.

Naps

I’ve always loved a good nap. In March, I suddenly started taking more of them. And this started before shelter-in-place went into effect. Twenty to thirty-minute naps were happening regularly.

These are not long naps, but they make me happy. And my weighted blanket has moved nap-taking to a whole new level. A nap on my couch, windows open, under my weighted blanket is my current version of heaven on earth 😊.

Yoga

I don’t know that this is so much bringing me joy as it is bringing me peace. I started a practice of doing yoga every day. I’m terrible at it and you would, no doubt, laugh if you saw me on my mat. Yet, it has proven to be exactly what my soul and body needs right now. It helps to soothe the occasional bouts of anxiety that have shown up for me around the pandemic. And is surprisingly quite comforting even without the anxious energy.

Alvin Ailey’s Revelations

At the end of March, The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Company temporarily released a full version of their iconic piece Revelations on Instagram. It was available for four days and I watched it EVERY DAY. I LOVE this piece.

My sister and I were able to see it live in Charlotte back in February. And though I’ve seen it in person multiple times, it never fails to deliver. Watching it from home was no less magical. I sometimes think I missed a calling to the theater because of how much joy the arts bring me. Nevertheless, watching Revelations every day was a great way to end the month of March.

There were other moments of joy this month including a virtual happy hour with friends. However, these five stand out as producing multiple joy moments throughout March.

I don’t know what my year of YES will look like as we move into April. I do know I will continue to document my daily joys. And maybe April will provide a chance for me to get creative during this year of YES.

I’d love to hear from you. What’s bringing you joy this month? Share in the comments below or email me at makeda@makedapennycooke.com

Wishing you moments that delight your heart in unexpected ways.

From my heart to yours,