What a weird season we’re in right now. And whether you’re a planner or not, this much uncertainty is making all of us very uncomfortable. So on any given day, many of us are struggling to find the bright spots. When we’re stressed, sad, anxious, insert negative emotion of the moment, it’s so hard to remember all of the positive things that are happening in our lives.

I’m big on making lists. And not just to do lists, lists for everything, of everything. (If you could only see the Notes app on my phone. Seriously wondering if there is a maximum number of Notes one can have. Guess we’ll find out…) Recently, I’ve been trying to keep more of a record of the things that are bringing me joy, both as a reminder of the bright spots, but also a reminder of things I can do when I need some joy.

Also, I often gain ideas of things to try from seeing things that bringing joy to others. We never know who we’re inspiring or influencing, and this is no exception.

So that’s when it hit me: The Happiness Report. You can now join me here every week for a quick recap of five things that have made me happy in the past week. I’m hoping that these things will bring you joy and will serve as a reminder that even the little things can make us happy.

Things that made me happy in the last week:

1. Self Care Sunday. Sunday has always been a day of rest around here. With the exception of church and lunch, we don’t do much of anything or go anywhere. But now that our church is virtual and restaurants are currently closed for takeout only, we’re not going anywhere! I’ve been using this extra time–and the fact that I’m not seeing anyone except my immediately family–to do some extra self care treatments. A bath, a deep conditioning hair mask, a facial, a pedicure, whatever I feel like doing. It is so relaxing and refreshing, and it’s also a great escape to our master bath for some peace and quiet.

2. Virtual Coffee Date. One of my girlfriends and I meet once a month for coffee at our favorite local coffee shop. It’s typically only an hour, but between our full time jobs, our kiddos, our husbands, and everything else, it is often difficult for us to make or keep our date. However, I texted her one morning and asked if she could do a virtual coffee date to catch up, and we were able to schedule and keep it with no problem. It brought me so much joy to see her face (although via FaceTime) and to catch up. Friendships aren’t cancelled.

3. Our Air Fryer. Look, I know I’m years late to this party, but Quarantine Molly does some new, different, and sometimes weird things, so here we are. This air fryer has been sitting in our pantry, in its original box, for several months. But it took one Pinterest recipe for cauliflower gnocchi in an air fryer for me to bust that thing out. Chad and I had fun figuring out our new kitchen appliance (it’s pretty simple, so not much figuring…) and are now brainstorming all the things we want to air fry, because it was so easy! (And yummy.)

4. At Home Date Night. I told Chad last week that I needed some romance. One thing that I love about my husband is that he is actually very affectionate–hugs, hand holds, kisses, freely and often. But romance? Well sometimes he has to be prompted. And with us being together EVERY.SINGLE.SECOND., I felt us slipping into a roommate situation. We’re really good about date nights in a normal environment, and try to go out at least once per month. But since that’s not really an option right now, we had to get creative. We got takeout from a local restaurant, and while Chad went to pick it up, I took care of putting the baby to bed and getting dolled up. And I even made a charcuterie board for a pre-dinner appetizer. Chad put on his date night attire too, so it actually felt like a real date. We started with wine and the board on our deck, moved into the dining room for dinner and dessert, and finished back on the deck for a night cap. No phones, no interruptions, just us, reconnecting. So needed and so much happiness.

5. Mother’s Day. Yea, this seems like a no-brainer, but it’s not in the way you might think. As someone who had a lot of years of very sad Mother’s Days, longing to be a mother, it’s a day that I am overcome with joy, but also sensitive to the feelings of others. But what really brought me joy this year was the way I saw women rally around the idea of motherhood in multiple capacities. I saw graphics of expanded definitions of motherhood–moms, dog moms, stepmoms, trying to conceive moms, moms of angels, and the list went on. Additionally, so many social media captions that were intentional to call out that this day may be difficult for others. It brought me so much happiness to see this widespread demonstration of empathy.

I hope this made you smile, and I would love to hear what’s bringing you happiness this week!

XOXO,

Molly B.