Well hello, Monday.

This weekend positively flew by. Funny how they almost always do!

I’m learning a lot these days about having hope in spite of overwhelming circumstances, helping others with a happy heart (and not a begrudging one), and embracing holiness vs. the idea of holiness–HINT: the latter is so much nicer/easier.

I hope you are managing to stay in good spirits, even if it’s a little hard right now (and if that is the case, believe me, I’m right there with you).

Overwhelming circumstances or not, these are five things I’m still excited about this week.

1. Sunday Afternoon.
   This song is so good. I came across it on a random Spotify playlist and I’ve been listening to it on repeat for the past week. I love it more and more each time. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to get up and dance (even if you’re really bad at it)–and the message is really sweet too, which makes it even better.
   
2. I’ll tell you how the sun rose.
   This was the poem that first got me back into the art of poetry again. Emily Dickinson has a way of phrasing things that just kind of takes my breath away. I’m hoping to explore more of her incredible work soon.
   
3. My Therapist Says.
   Ok–I’ll just make the caveat with this one that not all of their content is amazing. However, by and large their posts are honestly hilarious and super relatable. If you’re looking for some comedic relief to brighten your day, I highly recommend checking their account out (my favorites are the Arrested Development ones…omg, too funny).
   
4. Joyful availability.
   I came across this concept from this podcast episode (I love those two). They use it regarding a specific topic that isn’t really super applicable for me right now but I thought the idea was genius and one I definitely want to incorporate into my life. It’s basically just the notion of being available to help others, whenever/wherever, and to be so joyfully. I’ve noticed that I often say ‘yes’ to requests or obligations with a begrudging attitude that’s more curmudgeon-y than cheerful. This really bothers me. I want to be someone who is happy to help, regardless of what this entails or when. So, I’m excited about incorporating this attitude of joyful availability into my life more and more.
   
5. Independence Day.
   I know a lot of us are frustrated and discouraged by all the civil unrest going on in our country right now. It is certainly unnerving. However, I do still maintain that–compared to many people in many countries–we have a lot to be grateful for simply by living in the USA. I hope we all keep that in mind as we celebrate the upcoming patriotic holiday with our friends and family.

Here’s to making decisions based on hope instead of fear this week.

with love,

Miranda