I love the snail photos; this post resonated with me a lot (and I like this format). I don't have ADHD, but I do have my issues with anxiety and depression and I, too, suffer from the shame and depression spiral whenever I make something. My usual strategy is to ignore whatever it is I've made and move immediately on to the next thing, only returning to the first thing after my brain has had time to cool off.
Anyway, you asked for our small moments of joy, so here's mine: I replaced my "teacher red" grading pen with a soft, rich maroon ink that still stands out on the page but is much easier on both the eyes and the nerves. It doesn't scream out "mistake" so much as softly suggest that this little bit here might need a bit of re-thinking. It's fantastic.
The photographs resonated with me. I’m going to have to give that process a whirl the next time I go for a walk. I love the idea of taking in the world from a different perspective.
My small moment of joy involves my son. He’s starting to talk a lot more, and last night we had our first decent thunderstorm of the year. After each rumble he asked “What’s that?” I kept telling him “thunder”. By storm’s end he was getting pretty close in saying “dundun”. 😊
Thanks for sharing that! I love watching children process the world.
We rarely get thunder storms here. But we had a big one when my kids were smaller. My oldest was 3 or 4 and started saying "Funder is funny" after every thunderclap to reassure herself and her little sister. Our family still says funder is funny.
This is wonderful, Jason! I love the photos and your deep honesty. We all have that nasty, negative voice. Sometimes it's louder than others. Sometimes we see it clearly and can laugh at it. Sometimes not so much.
I'm struggling right now as my number of teed-up posts are dwindling and my ability to work is nearly non-existent. I have COVID with a swimming head. This is day 11. The thought of possibly not publishing stresses me. I'm trying not to let the negative thoughts take over. I've told myself to try to get through one story today. We'll see!
My moment of joy is tiny, but here it is. I managed to stand long enough to shower today and it felt glorious to experience the hot water and to feel clean after. Maybe tomorrow I'll manage to go out and sit on my deck and enjoy the aroma of my lilacs.
I'm glad that you were able to enjoy a hot shower. Having been bed-ridden with illness a couple times in my life (although not yet with COVID) I know exactly how triumphant it feels to have enough strength to stand long enough for a shower and to finally feel clean as the hot water carries away the grime.
I'm sending positive thoughts your way. Know that you will have lots of readers ready when you are, even if you miss a few publishing days. You have to take care of yourself!
I’m having a tough week dealing with my aging dad and his health issues, so it’s been hard to grab a moment of joy...until I read this. Thank you! I look forward to more like this.
Dealing with aging parents is rough. We live across the street from my wife’s aging parents and her dad has dementia. Thank you for your reply! It means the world to me to know my stuff means something to someone. I hope you find a few more moments of joy this week
I love the snail photos; this post resonated with me a lot (and I like this format). I don't have ADHD, but I do have my issues with anxiety and depression and I, too, suffer from the shame and depression spiral whenever I make something. My usual strategy is to ignore whatever it is I've made and move immediately on to the next thing, only returning to the first thing after my brain has had time to cool off.
Anyway, you asked for our small moments of joy, so here's mine: I replaced my "teacher red" grading pen with a soft, rich maroon ink that still stands out on the page but is much easier on both the eyes and the nerves. It doesn't scream out "mistake" so much as softly suggest that this little bit here might need a bit of re-thinking. It's fantastic.
Thanks for your feedback. I love the idea of a softer grading pen! I definitely would've benefited from that as a student.
I really like the new format, Jason.
The photographs resonated with me. I’m going to have to give that process a whirl the next time I go for a walk. I love the idea of taking in the world from a different perspective.
My small moment of joy involves my son. He’s starting to talk a lot more, and last night we had our first decent thunderstorm of the year. After each rumble he asked “What’s that?” I kept telling him “thunder”. By storm’s end he was getting pretty close in saying “dundun”. 😊
What a wonderful story, Justin!
Thank you, Dascha!
Thanks for sharing that! I love watching children process the world.
We rarely get thunder storms here. But we had a big one when my kids were smaller. My oldest was 3 or 4 and started saying "Funder is funny" after every thunderclap to reassure herself and her little sister. Our family still says funder is funny.
Same here. I love watching them take it all in. Haha, I love that. What a great memory.
This is wonderful, Jason! I love the photos and your deep honesty. We all have that nasty, negative voice. Sometimes it's louder than others. Sometimes we see it clearly and can laugh at it. Sometimes not so much.
I'm struggling right now as my number of teed-up posts are dwindling and my ability to work is nearly non-existent. I have COVID with a swimming head. This is day 11. The thought of possibly not publishing stresses me. I'm trying not to let the negative thoughts take over. I've told myself to try to get through one story today. We'll see!
My moment of joy is tiny, but here it is. I managed to stand long enough to shower today and it felt glorious to experience the hot water and to feel clean after. Maybe tomorrow I'll manage to go out and sit on my deck and enjoy the aroma of my lilacs.
Hope you feel better soon, Dascha. 🙏
Thanks, Justin.
Thanks!
I'm glad that you were able to enjoy a hot shower. Having been bed-ridden with illness a couple times in my life (although not yet with COVID) I know exactly how triumphant it feels to have enough strength to stand long enough for a shower and to finally feel clean as the hot water carries away the grime.
I'm sending positive thoughts your way. Know that you will have lots of readers ready when you are, even if you miss a few publishing days. You have to take care of yourself!
Thanks, Jason. I'm glad I'm triple vaxed. I'm sure this would be much worse otherwise.
I’m having a tough week dealing with my aging dad and his health issues, so it’s been hard to grab a moment of joy...until I read this. Thank you! I look forward to more like this.
Dealing with aging parents is rough. We live across the street from my wife’s aging parents and her dad has dementia. Thank you for your reply! It means the world to me to know my stuff means something to someone. I hope you find a few more moments of joy this week
I love the macro photos of random things on the ground 😀