(do they ever?)

Sometimes, everything falls apart.

Imagine this: you have to move unexpectedly. All your plans and dreams, your stability and safety are suddenly gone.

You pack your entire life into a 15 m3 box, and leave for another continent.

For how long, you don’t know.

Back “home”, to a country you love and know very well. But home, your home, the place that’s yours, your sanctuary—that home is not there anymore. It’s gone.

You tell yourself it’s okay, it will be okay.

This is temporary. Let’s set up camp, live like nomads for a while.

It will be okay.

Soon after you arrive, when you’re just starting to really land… you get sick.

A plague lays you flat for weeks that turn into months.

Everything feels wrong. Your body, and the bed that’s too high and too stiff. The light switch that’s always on the opposite side of where you expect it to be. The seasons walking in the wrong direction. Noise, too much noise. There’s no quiet anywhere.

And that’s when construction starts in the apartment above you.

Are you screaming yet?

🌿 There are joys, too.

Hugs from people you missed.
Smiles from people who missed you.

The air smells different in a good way—it’s the air you’ve breathed your whole life.
It feels like home, even if nothing else does.

There are bizcochos—typical pastries that you enjoy with mate—in every bakery.
All the food that is part of your culture and heritage: asado, milanesas, dulce de leche.

The unmistakable sounds of your language, the music of your accent. The words only known to people from your small, humble land.

A big, fancy, delightful birthday party.
Everyone dressed to the nines.
Delicious food, plenty of drinks, music to dance and the kind of joy that’s only found at gatherings like this, when people who don’t see each other all that often have a chance to get together, celebrate and have fun.

There’s rain and familiar buildings.

You see all the ways things are the same, and how some things are better and others are worse.

There’s despair. But there’s also hope.

You still miss home.

Every day, down to the marrow of your bones.

Your soul hurts.

Your life feels broken.

You wonder if you’ll ever feel whole again.

If you’ll ever get home again.

🌿 Survival As Sacred Work

Survival lives in the seams.

It’s the thread you stitch and knot in the dark when your soul is ragged; the single match you use to light a small candle in your desk or your heart. It’s how you cup both hands to hold that candle steady against the wind.

It smells like coffee gone cold and a page finally finished; it looks like a desk lamp left on to fight the rising darkness of the late night.

It’s finding hope again, and again, because tomorrow needs light even if today bleak despair was all there was.

It sounds like dancing around your kitchen to a favorite song.

Like the quiet whisper of the turning pages as you read an old book. The faint scratch of your pen as you write poems, stories and memories in your journal.

It feels like watching the rain and forgetting, for three minutes or five, that everything hurts and sometimes you feel like you just can’t go on anymore.

They allow you go through one more day.

And another, and another.

🌿 Tiny Rituals For The Soul

They are the ceremonies you perform just for yourself: a postcard you fold and keep on your desk, a five-line to-do list scribbled on the back of a receipt, a bowl of soup you warmed and set on the table like an offering to the day.

The spellwork of writing soul, heart and dreams into your journals, into the stories you tell; the wild hope you carry as a lamp when you cross the dark lands of uncertainty.

Your small rituals won’t fix the architecture of your life; but they keep the walls from falling while you find a way to rebuild.

They are the steady work of keeping your flame alive; the sparks of who you really are, down to your core.

Given enough time, this practice starts feeling like a lifeline.

🌿 Through The Darkest Hours

Survival carries its own stubborn dignity. It asks that you keep showing up with whatever tools you still have—half a sentence, a shaky sketch, five stitches. One pause. Three breaths.

A promise you can keep.

That persistence becomes holy because it honors the simple fact of being here: attention given to the broken parts of yourself, witnessing the quiet mending of tiny cracks, the gentle tending to your wounds.

When you treat those small acts as worthy of respect and reverence, you give them meaning. You turn the ordinary into sacred, a shelf into tiny altar, everyday objects into magic charms.

🌿 This Week’s Quest - Tiny Rituals of Survival

Ideas & inspiration to find yourself. (And maybe some joy, too.)

📕 1 - The Two-Minute Salvage (2 minutes)

For when your brain won’t slow down.

• How: Put on a favorite song, set a timer for 2 minutes, and sit with one object that grounds you—a mug, a book, a faded photo. Focus on how it feels in your hands, the emotion or feelings it evokes. Breathe with it.

• Why it works: Micro-rituals interrupt the cascade of panic and return you to your body, to the present moment.

Do this now. Two minutes. No notes, no photos for social media, just one small object and the music. If you want, keep it close as a calming charm.

📝 2 - The Five-Line Inventory (5–10 minutes)

For when you feel numb or overwhelmed.

• How: Open a note or a journal page and write five lines:

  1. One small failure

  2. One tiny win

  3. One thing that felt like care

  4. One thing you can do tomorrow

  5. One absurd thing you still love.

  No editing! Just go with the first things that come to mind.

• Why it works: It’s a raw inventory that builds narrative continuity—proof that survival is active and that there are still good thing in your life, even if they’re small. Even when everything sucks.

Write five lines. Don’t overthink. Save it.

If you do it every day (or whenever you feel like it) you’ll build an archive of the seasons you’ve been through and how you kept going.

🕯️ 3 - The Weekly Beacon (15–30 minutes, weekly)

For when you’ve forgotten who you are.

• How: One small, dedicated weekly practice—make a cup of tea like a sacred ritual, write a postcard to your younger self, turn your week into a haiku or a doodle, collect one rock, photograph a comforting corner of your life. Dedicate a special shelf or folder to keep your relics and artifacts.

• Why it works: Gives the week a steady anchor and creates a space for meaning, quiet joy and creative recovery.

If you ever want to share one small object from your Beacon or any other tiny ritual, reply with a photo, a sentence or even a single word. No pressure. 🌱

For creative survivors, and the quiet ones still carrying the flame through the storm. You don’t have to be okay to belong here. 💚

🌻That’s It For Today!

I’m happy to be back. Thank you for being here. 💚

💚🌿Until next time. —Nospheratt

🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

Home.

Home is a place that belongs to you. A place you belong to. Safety, sanctuary.

A place you know well; every little detail, the tiniest imperfections. Every small noise, the cracks and the sighs. The complaint the faucet makes when you turn it, and which are the hours with the best water pressure.

How quiet it is at night, how it changes with the seasons. How it smells — that unique smell that can't be explained or replicated and it's unique to each house, each building.

Your body knows where the light switches are, which windows get the best morning light.

I’ve been thinking about this because I’m leaving the place I’ve called home for three years, and going to a temporary arrangement that’s… That I don’t know for sure how long it will last.

I’m feeling adrift, unmoored.

I have been through bad housing situations in the past, so I have all these scars and old pains and alarm sirens blaring through my skull, even tho what’s happening now is not the same as before.

But the wounds are still here.

There’s a part of me that is terrified.

So I’m thinking about home, and how to find it in a temporary, uncertain place.

That liminal space between “I live here now, this is mine” and “I don’t belong here.”

The place where I don’t have my usual anchors. All the little things that tell me this place is my home.

If you’ve ever moved, specially to… uncertain places, you know how everything feels weird, unfamiliar, vaguely threatening. Maybe you're sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Maybe the echo of the room still feels too loud.

So you build home out of scraps, memories and frayed threads of hope.

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🌿 17 Ways to Make a New Place Feel Like Home

(Even if it's temporary. Even if it’s not yours. Yet.)

1. Bring your scent with you

   Candles, essential oils, your favorite laundry soap — whatever smell makes your nervous system exhale. That’s your portable atmosphere.

2. Claim a corner

   Just one spot that is yours. Throw a blanket over a chair, put your book there, sit with your coffee. Start small.

3. Put something soft under your steps

   A rug, a towel, even a sweater or scarf. A little bit of sweetness for your tired feet.

4. Get a lamp, not just overhead lighting

   It can be small, it can be cheap; it doesn’t matter. Ambient light = instant coziness.

5. Set up one “ritual station”

   A tea corner, a journal nook, a skincare basket. Something that says: this is what I do when I’m safe.

6. Tack something to the wall

   Posters. Postcards. Polaroids. Quotes. Even painter’s tape and a sticky note. Decorating, even minimally or temporarily, is a way of claiming the space, making it yours.

7. Bring one ridiculous comfort object

   A plushie, a rock from your garden, a weird trinket. The sillier, more joyful and personal, the better.

8. Arrange snacks like you’re nesting

   A bowl of fruit. A shelf of instant soup. A box of cookies and a bar of chocolate. Anything that feels comforting and familiar.

9. Listen to your music

   The playlist that keeps you company while you unpack, cry, or exist in socks and disorientation. It can be sorrowful or energizing; whatever helps you to keep going.

10. Make your bed as intentionally as you can

    Even if it’s a mattress on the floor. Layers, softness, your scent. A cocoon makes a home, and it gives you a place to return to at the end of a hard day.

11. Hang up your bag or coat

    That small gesture of “I’m staying” rewires your brain toward rootedness.

12. Open the windows. Let the space breathe.

    Or close it and light incense. Either way, make the air yours.

13. Set up a charging station

    Practical magic. Charging your devices is basically 2025s altar work. 😂

14. Give yourself a soundtrack for “arrival”

    A specific song you press play on when you come back in the door. Your cue that you’re back in your realm.

15. Talk to the space

    In your journal, out loud or in your head: “Hello! I’m here now, at least for a while. Let’s try to like each other, and be friends. Let’s take care of each other.” (It works. I don’t know why, but it really helps.)

16. Use a familiar cup or utensil

    Something from “before.” Drinking tea out of that mug makes the tea taste like home. (For me, it’s the mate — no matter where I am or what is happening, my mate and my thermos are always there with me.)

17. Unpack one thing that isn’t essential but is you

    A beloved photograph. A book. A scarf. A framed print. Anything that reflects your identity, expresses who you are, what matters to you.

    Anything that is you — that’s how you make home anywhere.

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That’s It For Today!

I wrote this for myself, but as always, I hope it’s useful for you; be it as a guide, inspiration or reminder, even if you’re not in between right now.

Do you know someone who’d enjoy this? Please share! 😊

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And if you enjoyed it, would you click on that little heart at the bottom? It really helps me! 💚

🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

Like I said last week, I’m dealing with a whole, entire lot.

A big transition. An unexpected move. A period of going through the hard that has fucked me up like few times before in my life.

Seriously. I’ve been dealing with depression and anxiety pretty much since forever, but this was the first time I learned what it feels like to have an extended panic attack that lasted days.

That was an interesting experience, and gotta tell you, do not recommend. 😅

But I’m here, I’m here, I am still here. And that is not nothing.

So — even here, in the hard, and the busy days, and sleepless nights — I still look for joy.

Not the loud, glittering kind. But the quiet, small flickers: soft breeze dancing with my hair. A free bench at the park, right next to the murmuring fountain. A tiny new leaf. Old notes and yellowed photos.

That moment when the heat breaks and you can breathe again.

A cold spell of rain.

Iced tea and a coffee milkshake.

All those small things call to me. Maybe they are the voices whispering: you are still here. You are still here. Don’t give up.

It’s not easy, but I don’t want to lose my joy to the darkness of panic and the busyness of moving.

So today I’m beginning a small daily ritual, and I am inviting you to come along with me. 😊

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🌿 Joy in the Midst - An Invitation.

For the next 30 days, I’ll post a short daily Note on Substack: a simple photo and a few words about something joyful, gentle, beautiful, or true.

Nothing fancy. Just noticing.

Connecting with joy, taking a moment to be still and breathe.

You can follow along my Notes, post your own Notes, leave comments here, or simply read and let my tiny joys keep you company.

🌿 Daily Themes

I created a daily theme list to guide me — so I don’t need to come up with things on the spot, since I’m short of time and energy these days. Some examples:

• Today’s smallest good thing. A tiny joy.

• The first thing that made me smile today

• A still moment I didn’t rush

• The roots that sustain me.

• Joy, spotted in the wild.

• Let the mess be beautiful

There’s no signup. No prize. No pressure.

Just a gentle anchor. A way to return to yourself through noticing small joys.

🌿Join me?

I’d love for you to join me and keep me company. 😊 If you’d like to, you can:

1. Follow along on Notes, and reply to me if something resonates

2. Post your own Notes and tag me

3. Comment here and tell me what’s giving you joy every day

4. Share this invitation with someone who’s going through a rough patch. 💙

   Share

🌿That’s It For Today!

This is for anyone feeling tired, overwhelmed, fragile, or just quietly in need of a gentle structure. Or a bit of company.

Let’s notice what’s still sparking our joy.

Even in the middle of everything. 🔆
—Nospheratt 💚🌿

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It finally happened.

I’m kinda surprised it took this long, to be honest.

Depression got to me again.

I’ve been dealing with depression and anxiety since… I honestly don’t remember how long.

But way before I even knew those things had a name. Decades.

Therapy and medication allowed me to find a functional, happy, mostly healthy baseline, but I still have bad episodes now and then, and that’s where I’ve been: deep in the pit of depression.

It’s not the first time, and I know it won’t be the last. It’s just part of life, for me.

It’s been weeks (months?!) since I was able to write anything. I’m only now starting to feel better. To me, a depressive episode is akin to falling into a deep, dark pit; it takes time and a lot of patience and effort to climb back up.

I am slowly making my way back up. I’m not back to my normal baseline yet, but things aren’t looking as bleak to me as they did a few days ago.

I was lucky. I realized pretty early I was down the pit again; I’ve been through this so many times, for so long, I am now able to recognize the symptoms and seek help before it gets the worst it can be.

So, I’m on the mend. And I’m sorry for going MIA, but there wasn’t much else I was able to do.

I hope you’ll never have to deal with something like this, but in case you do, here are a few things that are helping me. 12

🌿Getting up.

One of the first and biggest symptoms of depression for me is: I don’t want to get up in the morning. I don’t feel any motivation at all for getting out of bed, and since I don’t have a 9-to-5 job, I don’t have anything that can make me get up when I don’t have the willpower to do it.

So I asked my husband to help me — to make sure I am up and out of bed before he leaves for work.

If you don’t have someone in your home to help you with that, a call from someone can be just as helpful. Just a check-in to see if you can get your day started.

Did I go right back to bed some days? You bet I did. But getting up some days was still helpful — staying in bed all day aggravates my depression, so any day I can avoid that is good.

🌿Less Pressure

I just paused and stopped everything I could.

Overwhelm is a big stressor for me, and the more things I have to do and can’t do, the more I feel like a colossal failure, which, you guessed: makes the depression worse.

So I just… stopped.

I let a few people down, and I’m really sorry about that. I’m also sorry that I haven’t been here, writing for you as promised. 3

But stopping everything — when I didn’t have energy or mental bandwidth to do anything else anyway — allowed me to get a lot of rest and recover a bit.

🌿The Things That Always Help

Going back to the things I know help me maintain balance and a functional baseline, like meditation, yoga, stretching, very, very, very gentle movement; taking regular breaks, early bed time, resting, hydrating, going for walks. I’d been working non-stop and neglected all those things, which definitely contributed to my slide down the pit.

Once I realized I hadn’t been doing the little things that keep me going, I restarted all my practices. I’ve been calling this my “self-care hour” because I do most of it in a chunk of time. And it helps, a lot.

🌿Finding Joy

You knew this one was coming, right? 😄

It’s way harder to find or feel joy when you’re depressed. Some days, it’s impossible.

I still look for the smallest, easiest joys I can imagine, because it really, really helps.

For me, the easiest way I could — can — access joy is journaling. Crashing all my feelings and emotions into paper, letting them out. No judgement.

And making art of it — coloring, highlighting, cutting, scratching. Using stickers and scraps of paper, glue and ribbons.

I’ve been spending a lot of time journaling, and I am honestly amazed at how deeply soul-healing it is.

Other joys? A walk in the woods. Listening for birds at the park. Time to enjoy the quiet of the morning in the kitchen. Ice cream. Banana muffins. Writing fiction just for fun. Meeting with friends when I felt up to it. Watching movies — Thunderbolts* gave me SO MUCH joy. 😍

🌿Being Patient

There’s this voice in my head telling me that now that I don’t feel so horribly bad, now that I’m not feeling sad 24 hours a day, I should quit whining and go back to work, start again doing all the things I was doing before.

The truth is, it doesn’t work like that, as much as I’d like to just “get back to normal already.”

A depressive episode is just like any other illness, or an injury: if you restart your activities too soon, you’ll have a setback. Sometimes a big setback, one that will take even longer to heal.

Ask me how I know this. 😅

So I am being patient, and pushing back on my own shoulds.

I’m doing the best I can, and that’s enough.

Sometimes it makes my anxiety spike up — omg, I am not doing this and that and that and theworldisgonnaend — you probably know the drill.

It’s not easy.

Still better than pushing myself too soon and crashing way down again, tho.

Also on the personal stuff front: I am moving by the end of the month. This move came somewhat unexpectedly, which means a lot of chaos and logistics and figuring things out. 😩🥲

So instead of coming back next week like I initially planned, I’m taking an official break. I’m taking the next few weeks off, and I’ll be back with new quests in mid-August / early September.

In the meantime, I have an invitation for you - a small thing that I’ve dreamed up so we can keep looking for joy, every day, together. 🌱

I’ll tell you all about it next week. Don’t miss it! 😊

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That’s It For Today!

This is not a proper quest, I know. I hope it’s useful somehow anyway.

At the very least, you know why I’ve been AWOL.

Thank you for not giving up on me. You are the reason I won’t give up, either. 💚

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

Here it is, my first video post. I’m feeling many ways about it — it’s my first video post here, and my second video ever (the first one was a catastrophe 😂).

Please be gentle. 🥲

Like I promised in the post 10 Very Small, Simple, Easy Joys - Try This When You Just Can’t Anymore, today I’m showing you how to create a journal spread inspired by a happy memory.

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Early in the video I said I wasn’t going to talk the whole time, and it turns out… I lied. 😂

🌿 I’m Learning

I had fun making this, but. I’m new to this whole video thing, so I didn’t realize several things, like: the video shakes a bit at times, either because the table is shaking (I didn’t know my desk is not particularly stable! 😅), or the camera is using auto focus (I have disabled that. I think). I should have started with a better introduction of what we’re doing. The light should probably be brighter. There’s no real ending to the video — that will come with Part II.

Oh well.

At least you’ll know exactly how it feels to be invited to my living room. Because all the messiness — that’s me. Genuinely me, with all my flaws.

I will work on improving the technical side of things, and I’ll keep learning everything I can on how to make nice videos for you. But it will always be messy, because I’m not an influencer or content creator — I’m just here inviting you to my space, to show you what I do, and hopefully inspire you to find joy in your journaling practice. 😊💚🌿

🌿 Things Mentioned in the Video

• The place: Quinta de los Molinos

• The song: Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin

That’s It For Today!

Part II will be up soon, maybe tomorrow. I think it’s already an improvement on Part I, but we’ll see. 😅

I hope you enjoy my little video. Please tell me what you’d like to see in future videos — like I said, I’m working on the Journaling for Joy free workshop, and I’d love to make it as useful and as fun for you as I possibly can. 😊

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

Like many, many people, I’m having a hard time lately.

With everything.

Tired, overwhelmed, scared.

I’m guessing you may be going through the hard too. So today, we’re looking for the smallest, easiest joys we can find.

Because honestly, I can’t deal with anything else right now.

🌿 10 Very Small, Simple, Easy Joys

• Doing nothing. Just sitting with the quiet, staring out the window and not thinking about anything for 10 minutes. The mere idea of it feels like the ultimate luxury, doesn’t it?

• Staying in bed — 10 extra minutes. This also feels like such a decadent indulgence.

• Listening to a song that makes you feel calm. I have a playlist for this, and I really recommend you make one for yourself. It really, really helps.

• Writing yourself a tiny note that says It will be okay. And putting it somewhere were you’ll see it every day — ideally, several times a day.

• Wearing something very soft and comforting.

• Watering the plants. Looking for new leaves and sprouts. Smiling every time you find one.

• The smell and feel of a fresh load of laundry. I know, this means you’d need to do laundry; but it has to be done anyway, you may as well enjoy it.

• Reading a page of two of the book you’re currently reading. Or enjoying again a favorite scene from a comfort book.

• Taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Or just snuggling in bed, if you can’t or don’t want to sleep. The transgression of allowing yourself to rest when you “should” be doing things is a giant, joyful fuck you to all the things that are stressing you right now.

• Journaling about a happy memory. This won’t work when you’re deep in the pit of despair, but it’s an easy thing to do when you’re tired or overwhelmed — it will take your mind off your troubles for a bit, and help you connect with your joy.

🌿 This Week’s Quest - The Smallest Joys

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - What are your 10 smallest joys?

Make a list of your small, simple, easy joys. The objective of this list is to serve as a guide when you’re lost, tired, overwhelmed; when you can’t deal with anything else and wish the world would stop for 10 minutes.

• List at least 10 options, and be specific, if you can. Things you can do without much fuss, without much effort, without having to think a lot about it.

• Remember that joy can take many forms. Quiet, simple things (like most of my list above) that fill your heart with contentment or help you feel calm can be part of your joy, too.

• Finding ways to soften sadness or ease anxiety are also a form of joy, for me. As the painful thing I’m feeling diminishes, there is a part of me that connects with my joy. See if you can find that connection within yourself.

Keep the list where you can easily access it. Use it when you’re down, tired, overwhelmed.

2 - Create a playlist

Think about songs that calm you down, make you feel more centered, less jittery.

It can be difficult at first, but once you find a couple of options, it will be easier to remember others, or even look for similar songs that are new to you.

3 - Journal about a happy memory

Write about it, or write a poem inspired by it. Make a collage with photos. Draw or paint the scene.

My favorite method is creating a spread inspired by it, using images, text, quotes and color.

I’m making a video to show you how to do it — how easy it is, and how you can really take a break from everything while doing it. I’ll post it soon. 😊

📚Reads

➡️Despite Everything, We Are Still Here

Microjoys are accessible to us when we are present. But the paradox is that they can also occur as insights made clear only by looking backward. Microjoys ask that we find beauty in the seemingly mundane, but they also require us to hone the ability to accept life as it is and still find beauty wherever we are*.* These tiny joys live in the ordinary space of accepting and holding both this . . . and that; both past and present as truth. Like deep grief and brief moments of pure joy, or overwhelming chaos punctuated by intermittent points of calm. Tragic and peaceful. Large and small. This and that*,* at any time, can both be true.

Unavoidably, in life we will face difficulties. And when we do, the occasional moments of observing microjoys are profound gifts that allow us the respite we need to briefly come home to ourselves. The time to recognize that though we may be broken, we will become whole once again. Sometimes it is within the confines of two opposite truths that we find the deepest acts of grace. And when that time comes, because inevitably it will, we must learn to be in that middle space and still allow ourselves moments of reflection and reprieve.

—Cyndie Spiegel, Microjoys

I’m reading this book and loving it. Very recommended if you’re interested in finding joy everywhere.

🌿 That’s It For Today!

I am tired, the deep bone-tired that comes from existential crisis and can’t be solved with a night or twenty of sleep. Or rest. Or anything, really.

The world is burning, but we are still here.

The only way is through.

So we keep going.

Getting up every morning and doing it all over again.

Looking for the smallest, easiest joys.

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

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🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. Enjoy! :) 🌿

It’s weird this thing, this “taking space” thing.

I’ve been trying it lately, little by little.

Where I usually shrink, hide, go silent — I’m trying to find a way of being present, being myself, having a voice.

Not being aggressive; not hurting or disregarding people.

But saying: this is me, this is what I believe, this is what I think. This is what matters to me.

Whispering to myself: I matter, too.

Also: I am enough. Who I am is enough.

I learned very early about conflict. Violence.

The consequences of having opinions.

The punishment for speaking.

That fear still lives in me. Still inhabits my bones, curled in my chest, under my ribs.

It’s ingrained in me that it’s easier — safer — to say nothing. Go along.

Do what you are told.

Don’t look up.

Be silent.

And still, still.

I am nothing if not myself.

It’s kind of a miracle, really, how I’ve been broken so much and so deeply, irreparably so — and still managed to make something like a soul, and a heart, out of the jagged edges and shattered pieces of what I once was.

Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but that’s what I am. A pile of bones, a collection of scars, a bag of old stories and ancient wounds. A rag doll that dreams of a soul with no leak at the seams.1

A haunted ghost that lost everything but hope, and an unending wonder.

I guess getting to the other side of hell was my unfinished business, and that’s why I’m still here.

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A long, long time ago, I read this story about a monk and his oranges. It’s based on a medieval poem.

(Let me preface this by saying that I’m not about to discuss religion — please indulge me as I get to the story.)

In the version I know, the Virgin Mary comes down to the Earth and visits a monastery, little Baby Jesus in her arms. The monks create the most amazing works to honor them: beautifully illustrated manuscripts, lovely hymns, gorgeous poems...

But there is one monk who has only one talent: juggling.

He is ashamed, but he doesn’t know how to do anything else, and he really wants to give something of himself to the Virgin Mary. So when it’s his turn — even as he feels the disdainful looks of his brothers upon him — he steps up, a few oranges in his hands, and starts juggling.

It was only at this moment that the Baby Jesus smiled, and clapped his hands in Our Lady's lap. And it was to him that the Virgin stretched out her arms, allowing him to hold the child for a while.

I always, always cry when I get to the end of this story.

All my life, I’ve walked around with these oranges, these humble things that nobody wants.

(Or so I thought.)

I love this story because it told me: what you do, it matters. Someday you will find grace. You will meet someone who will appreciate your gifts, small as they may be.

It will mean something to them, too.

And I did.

Some days it doesn’t feel like it. Feels like I am alone, like people don’t care about me or for me.

Some days I am standing there, with my poor oranges, trembling under the disapproving gaze of my so called brethren.

And there is no grace to be had.

Every time I offer my oranges — speaking up, writing, publishing, sharing stories, being vulnerable, opening my heart, showing that I have so much love to give — I want to shrink, and hide, and be silent, because I remember those many times when there was no grace to be had.

When there was only disdain, punishment, and pain, and new scars.

I am trying to remember the times when there was grace, too.

When someone smiled and looked upon me with joy. When there were hugs, and hands clasped warm and supportive around my trembling fingers. When I was crying, and people gave me space and understanding.

When someone let me borrow their voice, because I had lost mine.

When strangers offered kindness, warmth, belonging.

When there was shared laughter and delight.

When I offered my gifts and received gifts in return.

When someone said I feel this, too.

Or, I needed this.

Offering my humble gifts, juggling my oranges, is taking up space.

Being myself.

And it’s hard, so hard.

So I practice.

I try to remember.

I fail, and I try again.

Sometimes, many times, there is grace to be found.

Sometimes, there is not.

But always, always: I am enough.

🌿 This Week’s Quest - The Joy Of Taking Up Space

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - To think about…

This week, I’m just going to invite you to think about your gifts, and how you take space.

• Do you take up the space that belongs to you?

• Do you shrink or hide from it?

• What are your oranges? The gifts or talents you want to share with the world?

• Can you remember moments when there was grace to be had? When you offered something, when you stepped up and was met with kindness, joy, acceptance?

• How can you take space joyfully?

🌳 Quote

🌿 That’s It For Today!

I know taking up space, sharing your gifts and offering your oranges is not an easy thing to do. It’s scary, and we are not always met with joy and grace.

I hope you do it anyway.
Because it matters. You matter.
The world needs your oranges. 🍊

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

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🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

This week was, let’s say, bananas.

I am exhausted — my trip to Munich was amazing but I’m still recovering of all the fun. 😂 And things are not getting better in the world, I know. Do I ever.

So let’s focus on the things that are working right now. Things you do that nourish your soul, fill you creative well, give you energy and hope; or help you get through the worst moments.

🌿 If this is your first time hearing about this “Journal for Joy” thing, read this: 🌿 Easy, Joyful Journaling for Busy People 🌿

🌳 This Week’s Theme - Things That Help

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

🌱 Prompts

• What is helping you get through these hard times?

• What are the things that give you hope?

• What helps you to take care of yourself?

🌿 Ideas

• Take photos (or print images) of the things that give you hope and stick them to your journal. Make a joyful HOPE spread.

• Write a SOP manual - create some pages that will be your “Standard Operating Procedure” guide when you don’t remember what helps or how to take care of yourself

• Draw a well and fill it with all the little things that restore and inspire you.

🌿 Journaling for Joy Workshop

Next month I’ll be offering a free Journaling for Joy workshop. 😁😊💚🌿 Read about it here: 🌿 Journaling for Joy - Spring & Renewal.

More details will be coming soon. Subscribe so you won’t miss it!

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That’s It For Today!

Thank you for being here. I really appreciate you. 😊

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

Since I am on the road this week, we’re revisiting a favorite of mine. 💚🌿

When I published this last year, I didn’t have any subscribers yet, but I did pour my heart and soul into the writing. It’s still some of my best work. 😊 And we are all in need of hope right now, aren’t we. 🥲

It’s a long one, so grab a favorite cozy beverage, get comfortable, and please enjoy. 💛

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After the long, cold and tenebrous winter, spring is a season of hope. Specially early spring, when the air feels less crisp, more alive. The sun and all the things we associate with life - green leaves, tiny sprouts, colorful flowers from the first blooms, the rich brown of earth, the songs of the birds — everything speaks of possibility and wonder.

🌿 The Hope Of Plants

Yesterday we went to the garden center and bought a few new plants. As I sit here, I can see them on the table — two young tomato plants and a mini bell pepper.

We also got a philodendron because I love trailing plants, and an oleander because it’s beautiful and I didn’t know it’s highly poisonous.1

I love plants. I have a few of them, and have lost a bunch too — which always makes me impossibly sad. I’m still mourning the sansevieria I lost when we were away for three weeks for the holidays last year.

Our oldest — a small monstera — almost died too, because the self-watering system was borked and tried to drown him. I really thought he was gone, since he lost all his leaves, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw him out. I repotted him, fully expecting him to wither and die, despite my efforts. But to my absolute surprise, he didn’t give up. A couple of weeks later he sprouted new growth, new leaves. In winter.

He’s still recovering, but he’s still here. Like me. Like so many of us.

It’s not easy, caring for plants. It takes time, and effort, and sometimes it hurts because you fuck up or they get a bug and they suffer and sometimes die.

But sometimes they don’t give up, they fight back and sprout new tiny leaves, and it gives you hope. That things can get better, even when it seems everything is completely fucked.

It shows you that sometimes you can fix things. Not always, but sometimes.

And because you know it’s not easy, bringing new plants home or planting seeds or caring for tiny little seedlings feels like hope. Like believing tomorrow can be good, not all days will be bad, and some days can be joyful. Believing that I can do something meaningful. Something right - even if I will fuck up sometimes.

Even if some parts of me have died, withered away in pain and misery, others have survived, stubborn and obstinate, fighting back and sprouting new leaves, digging new roots.

Seeing that rebellious new growth, be it in a plant or yourself, is a very special kind of joy.

🌿 The Magic Of Trees

Trees are such an amazing thing.

You just have to look at them, pay attention, and you will see. They’re beautiful, yes, but also offer refuge, pleasure, comfort. They’re good role models and sources of inspiration, if you care to listen to them.

Some trees bloom very early, before the cold of winter is really gone. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across one of them as they shed colorful petals in the breeze, floating slowly and quietly in a breathless flash of magic, to then fall to the ground and create a stunning tapestry under the canopy.

The flowers don’t last very long, but each one of them is this perfect, timeless moment of joy.

Something ephemeral, simple and magnificent, that invites you to take a moment, take a breath and fill yourself with uncomplicated delight.

Now is also the time when all the bare trees, the ones that have survived the dark, cold months, burst with life again. It’s another kind of magic; enduring harsh conditions, resting for a season, being still and patient, knowing that spring will come and the work will begin again, and they will be ready for it.

Sometimes I’m startled by how fast and how fiercely they grow, as soon as temperatures allow. It seems like just yesterday naked branches and uncovered trunks was all there was, and then I looked up and everything is overflowing with green and color.

I specially like how they sway in the breeze, how they sing with the wind, how they seem to sigh when it rains, how they glow in the early morning.

🌿 The Calm Of Birdsong

I live in magpie territory and they’re back, chattering between the branches, surveying the trees from the rooftops, flashes of bright deep blue and startling white among the new leaves. Nearby, gorgeous black crows cackle and perch on the tallest trees, giving us judgemental stares, looking for food left behind to scavenge.

Sparrows are everywhere, even in densely populated areas. Seagulls and ducks are never far from water bodies, along with other less known species.

A conservation program started in 2002 is reintroducing eagles to Lac Léman, and this year there are many of them flying above the lake and the surrounding woods, slicing the air in majestic dives, dancing in pairs or trios, calling with their distinctive cry. This feels like hope, too; we can undo the damage we’ve been causing to the world. It’s possible, if not easy or simple.

I could tell you a lot more, because I spend a lot of time entertained by birds, listening to their songs, watching their shenanigans as they fight and mate and play, laughing at their antics as we feed them seeds.2

Do you ever listen to the birds that inhabit your city or neighborhood? It can be a source of joy and calm, as well as improve your mood and wellbeing. Just observing them can take you out of yourself, away from obsessive thoughts and that ever-present low grade anxiety.

🌿 The Wonder Of Green Spaces

This is a good time to go outside and just be.

Cold days are still mixed between the warmer ones, which makes nice days even more special. Blue skies and white clouds call for a walk, for sitting on a bench in the park, for a picnic. To feel the sun and the breeze over your skin, close your eyes, take a deep breath.

Read a book under a tree, watch the sunset over the river. Stay still for a moment and let the light and sound of spring wash over you. Look at the flowers and marvel at how intricate or simple they are.

I’ve spent entire afternoons in different botanic gardens, and always found a little peace and a lot of quiet joy there. If you have access to one, it’s a marvelous way to celebrate spring, maybe learn some interesting things3 or just enjoy nature.

🌿 The Warmth Of Coming home

And since the nights and the rain are still somewhat cold, there’s the joy of coming home, feeling a little bit chilled, a little bit tired, and sighing as the warmth envelops you.

I love going on adventures, meeting people, being outside to explore parks or hike in the woods. Watching the sunset by the lake or lazy walks across the neighboring fields.

But nothing is quite like the content feeling of coming home after a full day of being outside. 💛

🌿 This Week’s Quest - The Joys Of Spring

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

🪴 1 - What are your favorite spring moments?

Think about what things bring you joy every spring. Try to go from the generic things — like the weather, flowers, warmer temperatures - to what’s personal to you. For example, for me it would be:

• Weather - the cooler nights after a sunny day, when the sunset is overtaken by colorful clouds until it’s dark out, and I can hear the wind whispering through the trees when I go to bed.

• Flowers - this year I’m absolutely in love with rhododendrons. There are many species, all of them gorgeous, and I was completely gobsmacked by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s collection. There’s a narrow path that twists between some of the specimens, and every turn was a new delight. As I walked it, I felt like someone purposefully designed these little moments of awe along the pathway.

• Warmer temperatures - I can finally wear my favorite dresses, and open the windows in the mornings to listen to the birds as I prepare my mate.

Make a list, if you feel so inclined. Or some doodles, or journaling, or collage… whatever your jam is. Writing it down in some way helps with memorizing and learning, and keeping sources of joy at the forefront of your mind will allow you to enjoy those things more often.

Once you have your list, try to fit one or two things into your schedule this week.

🪴 2 - Find a moment of wonder.

Pay attention to the little things. Stay still, take a breath and look around. Be aware of small details. Seek out places and people that you know are joy-makers for you. If you allow it, if you create space for it now and then, you will find small moments of joy.

For example: a few weeks ago, I was sitting here at my desk, working the morning away. I’m lucky to have a big window, and I like to look up from the computer every now and then and watch the trees outside - there are quite a few early-blooming trees in the building’s garden. That morning, the wind was blowing gently, and little by little many white and pink petals would fall from the trees and float away, like a scene from a movie or a dream. It was an inconsequential thing, but I made a point of enjoying it. I opened the curtains a bit wider and allowed myself to just watch, to fully experience that simple magic.

I’m also a fan of watching the sky change colors, following the path and shapes of the clouds as they travel and change. There’s beauty to be enjoyed out there - you just have to look and pay attention.

🪴 3 - Go visit a green space, if that’s available for you

A walk in the woods is my favorite, but wandering around in a big park, or sitting down in a little park to watch the greenery and the birds are excellent options. If you can, go spend time in green spaces once a week - it can improve your mood, your creativity and even your health.

If you have the opportunity to visit a botanical garden, go. Be open to be surprised and delighted. Allow yourself to think that the colors and shapes of plants are interesting, to be intrigued by species you’ve never seen before, to dream about having a giant tree in your backyard. Have fun!

🪴 4 - Think about coming home

Are there any things you can do or set up to make that moment more welcoming, joyful and spring-like for you?

Take some time to ponder what would make you smile when you arrive home.

Maybe add some plants to the area you first see when you enter the house, or spring clean the ones you already have. If you don’t want to/can’t take care of houseplants, flowers or even artificial plants (there are good looking artificial plants out there, I own a few - you just have to find them) are a good alternative.

Putting away winter stuff that you’re not wearing anymore, like thick scarfs, boots and heavy coats will allow your entrance space to breathe and feel renewed.

You can also think about having stuff ready to prepare spring cocktails, mocktails or snacks when you arrive.

🪴 5 - Other ideas

🌱 Books & Movies - What books and movies make you think of spring, or feel like spring? Make a list and watch or read some in the coming weeks.

🌱 Playlists - Head to Spotify or wherever you listen to your music, and have fun putting together a spring playlist.

🌱 Spring Clean - Declutter and organize, if that's your thing. (It certainly is mine.) You can also spring clean your writing, your digital files, your books - anything you feel like organizing.

🌳 Quote

🌿 That’s It For Today!

I hope you enjoyed it, and found some inspiration to get your spring — and your hope — going. I’ll be back soon with more joy and more inspiration for you. 🌿

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

Spring has arrived, it seems. 🌸💮🌼

To be honest, I’m not ready to say goodbye to winter—I never am. I like the cold, the gloomy weather, the rain, the coziness of being home.

But spring is here anyway, uncaring of my cold winter heart. 🥲

And since I do delight in spring once I accept that the cold days are gone and won’t return until September, this week our journaling for joy turns towards renewal.

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🌿 If this is your first time hearing about this “Journal for Joy” thing, read this: 🌿 Easy, Joyful Journaling for Busy People 🌿

🌳 This Week’s Theme - Spring & Renewal

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

🌱 Prompts

• Your favorite things about spring

• Renewal, Growth, Awakening

• Words of spring

🌿 Ideas

• Make a list (always! 😂) of favorite spring things.

  • What are the moments you’re most looking forward to?

  • Or, what are your favorite memories of spring?

• Write about what needs renewal, growth or awakening in your life this season.

• Make a colorful spread inspired by your favorite spring quote or poem.

🌳 Quote

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke

🌿 Journaling for Joy Workshop

Next month I’ll be offering a free Journaling for Joy workshop. 😁😊💚🌿

🪴 Journaling for Joy?

You are probably familiar with journaling, and its many forms: long form writing, art journaling, creative journaling, junk journals… there are as many possibilities as there are people.

I’ve been journaling since I learned how to write. It has saved my life, my sanity, my humanity. It has helped me deal with trauma, heal wounds, process grief, and celebrate all the wonderful things that crossed my path.

And lately, I have been working on ways to add joy to my journaling, and using my journaling as a way to add more joy to my daily life. To recover the freedom of being very young and messing around with color, words and emotions, for the pure joy of it.

I want to share that with you. 😊

🌱 In the workshop I invite you to:

• Explore what joy means to you, and how can you add it to your journaling practice

• Discover simple, easy and creative ways of journaling for joy

• Explore your personal symbolism - elements that are meaningful to you, to use in your journaling

• Set up your Journal for Joy / Quest for Joy Field Book (like I suggest in The Quest For Joy. If you’ve always wanted to do it and didn’t know how, or lacked motivation, this is for you! 😊)

• Have fun! Be creative and express your unique self.

🌱 The workshop will include:

• A lovely welcome packet with stuff to print and use on your journal.

• A printable booklet with prompts and questions to explore your joy and personal symbols

• Introductory videos

• Two live sessions

🌱Who is this workshop for?

This is for you if you:

• Are new to journaling, and would like to discover an easy, fun and accessible way of doing it

• Want to add more joy to your journal practice

• Would like to journal in community, sharing space and time with other lovely people.

• Are interested in setting up a Quest for Joy notebook to chronicle your adventures in joy 😉😊

Places for the live sessions will be limited, because I’ve never done this before, and I want it to feel cozy, warm and welcoming. You, my lovely reader, will be notified first when I open enrollment and share more details next week. 😊

I’m going to be honest: I’m a bit terrified. It’s been many, many years since I hosted an event, and I’ve never done it online. But I’m also excited! Looking forward to sharing space and joy with you. 😊💚🌿

That’s It For Today!

I hope you have fun with this. 😊🌼 If you’d like, share your spring pages with me. I’d love to see what you make. 💚

And I hope you’ll join me in the workshop! 😊💚🌿

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. Enjoy! :) 🌿

What comes to your mind when you think about self-care?

Spa days, expensive candles, massages, luxury weekend retreats?

All the things you see on Instagram and TikTok — things you can buy, need to buy so you can engage in what is sold as self-care but it’s really just marketing?

All of those things could be part of self-care. But they’re not necessary, not by a long shot.

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Any little thing you do to take care of yourself is, you guessed, self-care.

Mind-boggling, I know. 😄

🌿 Simple, easy things you can do every day.

Here’s what I think of when I think of self-care:

1. Taking a nap.

2. Sitting on my couch and looking out the window for a while.

3. Doing nothing for 10 minutes.

4. Preparing my mate and then sitting here for some journaling.

5. Meeting friends for coffee or dinner.

6. Going to my Monthly Book Club meetings.

7. Taking regular breaks throughout the day, standing up and walking away from the computer.

8. Writing poetry or fiction.

9. Making my bed in the morning so it’s ready for me when I’m tired at the end of the day.

10. Adding buffer time to my schedule so I don’t have to rush.

11. Going to the park or walking in the woods.

12. Pausing my work and watching the magpies from my desk.

13. Reading books and fanfic.

14. Stretching every day. 10 minutes on the floor reset my body better than anything else.

15. Doing guided meditations to give my nervous system a break.

16. Drinking water.

17. Listening to birdsong, especially during sunset.

18. Organizing my desk at the end of the workday, so it’s nice and clear when I come back the next day.

19. Reducing the time I spend on social media (Substack notes included).

20. Putting the dishes away after dinner, because I love to come to a clean kitchen in the morning to start the day.

21. Going to bed early. Getting as much sleep as I can.

22. Listening to my body when I’m tired, hungry, anxious, scared, overwhelmed.

23. Singing along my favorite songs with all my heart.

24. Watching comedies that make me laugh out loud.

25. Saying no.

I could keep going, but you get the idea. None of those things cost extra money. All of them are part of my day-to-day life. I don’t do all of them every day, but I try to engage in as many as I can as part of my daily routines.

It really makes a difference.

🌿 This Week’s Quest - The Joy Of Taking Care of Yourself.

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - What’s on your list?

Make a list of all the tiny ways you are already doing self-care; all the small things you do day to day that make your life easier, better, simpler or lighter.

Acknowledge them as taking care of yourself. 🌿

2 - What would you like to add?

Think about things you’d like to add to your daily (or weekly, or monthly) practices of self-care.

Try to have at least one thing in each of these areas:

• Rest & recovery

• Nourishment

• Creativity

• Connections & community

• Nature

• Leisure

3 - Try it!

From your lists above, choose:

1. One thing to try today.

2. Three things to try tomorrow.

3. Five things to try this week.

Pay attention and take some field notes:

• How did it feel, to do those things for yourself?

• Is there any resistance around it? Guilt? Feeling silly, selfish? “I don’t have time for this”?

• What challenges you encountered, when engaging with self-care? Time, commitments, energy?

• What can you do to make space for self-care in your day to day?

🌳 This post was inspired by this note:

😊 Check out her list for more ideas!

That’s It For Today!

I’ll be honest, I’m a bit tired today — lots of things to do this week — and I’m drawing a blank on how to finish today’s newsletter.

So I’ll only say this: taking care of yourself is something worthy of your time.

Be good to yourself. 💚

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

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🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :) 🌿

I am always doing too many things.

Work, personal projects, homekeeping, travel. Writing, reading, learning. Exercise and self-care and community, friends and family and washing the car, cooking and laundry, publishing and coding, organizing and cleaning again. Planning the next trip and the next journal spread. And. And.

These days, I’m trying to pace myself - to stop thinking about my life as a state of emergency.

Because I have this mindset of “once these three (or four, or fifteen) projects are done, I’ll have time. I’ll be able to slow down, stop, rest.” — and while these three or four of fifteen projects are happening, I’m always rushing. Not taking enough breaks. Not stopping to think and organize myself better; that will happen when I’m done with these projects or tasks.

You know where this is going, I’m sure.

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The thing is, this is it.

This is my life, right now.

There will always be more projects, more tasks, more things I want to do and experience.

That is a good thing — I live a very rich life.

And I need to change my perspective from “I will slow down when X is done” to smarter, more compassionate planning.

I want to step out of this perpetual state of emergency.

Not only because living like this generates too much unnecessary stress, but because it leaves me eternally feeling like I’m failing, like I am behind; when the truth is it’s not even possible to do all the things I want to do at the same time.

So I’m trying.

To be more realistic with my planning and my expectations of what I can do on any given day or week.

To remember that it’s better to work on one thing and get it done, than to work on fifteen things at the same time and drag them on for weeks, months, years.

And maybe hardest of all: to keep in mind that the time I take to stop and take care of myself is not wasted time, but the foundation that sustains everything else.

I would bet good money you’re also trying to do way more than humanly or physically possible.

Here’s my invitation today: stop. Pause. Take a breath.

Close your eyes for a moment, right now, and take a breath.

I will wait. 💙

Now let’s find some calm and make some space so you can plan towards possibility instead of impossible expectations.

🌿 This Week’s Quest - The Joy Of Finding a Little Calm

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - Guess what, we are making a list! 😁

What are the things that make you feel calm, tranquil like a lake or steady like a mountain?

Think about:

• Colors

• Places

• Sounds and songs

• Textures

• Scents

• Activities

• Memories

You don’t have to find answers for all categories. Just focus on what resonates strongly for you and let the rest go.

2 - Let’s make art! 🌿

Create a collage, a poster or a journal spread with your list.

The objective is having something tangible that you can go back to, look at, use as a periodic reminder and a guide to find the calm you need, when you need it.

You can even turn this into an entire little book of calm, instead of just a page. 😉

Here’s mine:

It’s a work in progress still — I’m not rushing it. I chose blue because it reminds me of the ocean, lakes, water; peaceful spaces where I can just be.

3 - Think about expectations. 🌱

Where and how are you making unrealistic demands of yourself?

What are the ways you put pressure on yourself with impossible demands?

How can you be more realistic and compassionate on your planning and schedule?

Remember: this is it. This is the life we have to live — today. 🌿

📚Reads

➡️ Capacity Planning: Designing Your Ideal Week

Most of us are way over-booked and we leave little to no margin whatsoever in our calendars. As a result we spend most of our days feeling guilty or ashamed that we’re not getting done all of the things we intended to do, which further exacerbates our ability to get things done.

One of the key strategies for overcoming this challenge? Decide in advance how you want to spend your days, and create a system that holds you accountable to that.

All humans suffer from the cognitive bias of planning fallacy: we under-estimate how long things take, how much they’ll cost, and the risks involved. We also don’t account for obstacles, delays, or challenges that might arise.

🎥 Watch

🎙️Listen

My “Snow Day” list is also my calm list - I add here all the songs that calm me down, that make me feel slow and soft.

🌳 Quote

That’s It For Today!

Calm is in short supply these days, I know.

But just thinking about it — about all these things that evoke calm to you — will help you feel more centered, steady, quiet. 💙

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

PS - I’m working on a journaling workshop-type-thing — a space to show you how to journal like I do: with joy, color, ease and creativity. No expectations, no perfectionism; just fun. 😉

🌿 Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. Enjoy! :) 🌿

Today I was thinking about the quiet of a golden morning in the kitchen.

Those moments when the day is still waking up, and the sun streams through the window, painting everything in sunshine and diffuse yellow.

When the peaceful silence still hangs in the air, or there’s soft laughter and sleepy smiles.

When the world has not yet begun, and there’s the promise of shared stories or quiet contemplation.

A little, small time just to be.

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It’s such a small, trivial thing. A sunny kitchen, a few moments of peace.

And yet.

My body remembers, my soul remembers, the joy of it. I can close my eyes and take nourishment from those memories, from that golden light and that quiet.

I can be there.

I hoard shiny, small, peaceful moments like a magpie.

Take a breath, feel it in your skin, let it sink into your body and become part of you.

So you can go back there.

When things are scary. When you’re missing the past, and your people, and the future that’s not there anymore.

When you need a moment of peace.

You should treasure them, too.

Collecting very small joys is an easy way to notice the joyful things in your life.

To remind yourself that not all is lost, not everything is pain.

To build resilience, and to learn how to access joy and light when you need it.

Because big moments and life-changing events (luckily) don’t happen all that often, but you can feel joy every day—even if just for a moment.

Even if just for a few minutes, while you brew your coffee or prepare your tea in the golden quiet of the kitchen.

🌿 This Week’s Quest - Very Small Joys

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - Make a list 🌱

What are your favorite very small joys? Those fleeting, inconsequential things that make you smile and fill your heart with light and lightness?

Here are a few of mine, as inspiration:

1. A sunny kitchen in the morning

2. Preparing mate (or coffee, or tea)

3. A yellow flower

4. Those first small flowers that bloom in the grass in late winter

5. The perfect cappuccino

6. Being still and the mind quiet when you wake up

7. Stretching in bed before you get up

8. Clean sheet day! The smell and feel of fresh sheets.

9. Making the bed in the morning, knowing that when the day comes to an end you’ll have a cozy place to rest

10. A smile when you don't expect it

11. A child giggling at you in the park or the grocery store line

12. Going to bed after a tired day

13. Floor time

14. Unexpected compliments

15. Finding the perfect fallen leave on a walk

16. A bowl of fresh fruit in the kitchen

17. Birds singing as the sun goes down

18. A good shower

19. Fluffy towels!

20. Finding the perfect picture for a post

21. Using rainbow colored pencils on my journals

22. Rain. I love it when it rains. 🌧️

23. Foggy landscapes, especially in the very early morning

24. The quiet of the woods

25. Washing my face and moisturizing in the morning. It’s sensory pleasure, self-care and self-love all in one daily ritual.

26. Drinking cold water from the fridge. I drink cold water all year long — I keep three small bottles in the back of the fridge. They’re cute and practical and I love them.

27. When Google Photos resurfaces a favorite photo or a funny video

28. Turning off the overhead lights in the evening and enjoying the soft glow of the fairy lights I’ve stringed everywhere

29. A hug from a friend when you’re saying hello

30. A nice cup of herbal tea after lunch

31. Putting on warm socks when my feet are cold.

    

2 - Go on a treasure hunt! 🪴

This month — or this week, or today — go on a treasure hunt. Make a point of noticing every small joy you can find in your day to day.

• Document - Make a note or take a picture every time you experience a fleeting moment of joy

• Explore - How did it feel? What was joyful about it?

• Make a collection - Save your favorite small joys! Make an album, a list, a collage, a journal page, doodles, a zine… whatever speaks to you.

• Read How To Create a Personal Archive of Joy for ideas on how to make your collection.

Then you can revisit your collection when you need it, and add to it over time, as you make a habit of paying attention to the smallest of joys. 😊

📚 Reads

➡️ Unlocking joy: How small daily acts of fun can transform your life

Start a “Things I love to do” list

Turning inward and asking, "What do I like?" is a crucial step on the journey of self-discovery.

Last year, I made a Things I love to do list.

🌳 Quote

🌿 That’s It For Today!

I really hope you’ll give yourself the gift of noticing small joys whenever you can. It makes a world of difference in our day to day, sense of wellbeing and energy levels.

Give it a try? And then tell me: what is your favorite very small joy? 😊

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

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PS - Do you like the new dividers and accent color? Red has been the color of my…well, everything, all my life. It still is. But I’ve been feeling for a while that something more organic and peaceful — green — would be better for this space. What do you think? Should I go back? 😄

Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. Enjoy! :)

🌿 Today, we’re making space for sadness.

Maybe you can’t tell, but I’m really, really sad these days.

Filled with sorrow and horror. Terrified of so many things. Unable to process one wave of grief before another comes crashing down over me, over us.

I said in the beginning:

We are allowed to be sad, to be hurt. We acknowledge pain, trauma, depression, anxiety, loss, and all the other deeply difficult things that are part of our lives. — The Quest for Joy

But I forgot that just because something is a tenet for me — never pretending everything is fine; difficult emotions like sadness, sorrow and grief are to be acknowledged and not buried — it doesn’t mean everyone else knows that’s what I believe.

I focus on joy on my writing because that’s what I need, what I believe all of us need.

Because I know we are all sad, terrified, lost.

But sometimes things need to be said; we need to be reminded that it’s okay to feel what we feel. That it’s human to be grieving what we have lost, and mourning the future that’s not there anymore.

🌿 You Are Not Alone

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However, I tend to acknowledge my pain only to myself, in private.

Because I don’t want to add to anybody’s burdens. My sorrow is my own, and I don’t want to add to whatever pain you are carrying.

And I forgot that sometimes sharing a burden makes everyone’s load a little lighter.

Sometimes, we need to see someone else’s pain so we feel less alone. So we know that we are not the only ones feeling like this. This tightness in the chest, the clenched fists, the screams trapped on the back of the throat. The fear, cold and jagged, slithering through our veins.

The heavy weight of sorrow on our shoulders, the infinite tiredness, eyes burning with sleeplessness and horror.

I want you to know that I feel like this, too.

Some days it takes all my courage to get up, to even get out of bed. To stop myself from curling up in a ball and crying for a week or a century.

There are days when all I want to do is to give up. Hide.

I am always, always tired. Even when I’m not. There’s this existential tiredness underlying everything else, like a subterranean river running through the roots of my very being.

There are moments when despair strikes my soul like lightning, scorching everything in its wake.

Looking for joy, reveling in it, is how I cope, how I survive.

But I also make space for pain and sorrow, too. Usually before the joy part.

I’m sorry I forgot to share that with you, my friend. So I’m dedicating this edition to Shirley (check her Tarot for Humaning, it’s fantastic! 😊), who reminded me that it’s important to say:

It’s okay and necessary to feel what you feel.
It’s important to allow space for the hurt and scared parts of ourselves.

So let's be gentle with our tender hearts and bruised souls.

Let’s make space for our sorrow, our pain, our sadness.

I call this making of space “Singing so the sadness can sleep, under the willow tree.”

It’s a line from a poem I wrote back in 2016. This speaks to me because it evokes tenderness; I have this poor little sadness, and I will take care of it. I will sing to it so it can feel safe and sleep, in a place of quiet, peace, stillness; under my favorite tree.

This Week’s Quest - Making Space for Sadness

Ideas & inspiration to acknowledge the hard

PLEASE be careful — don’t force yourself to do anything that you don’t want to. Don’t do anything that will drag you down to a depression pit.
(And remember to look for professional help if you need it. Therapy has helped me more than anything. )
Proceed with caution, and be safe, okay? 💛

1 - Acknowledge your feelings

Acknowledging what you feel is the best way to validate your feelings. Give yourself permission to feel what you are really feeling, and stop fighting yourself.

I know there are times or situations when you can’t afford to even think about your feelings and emotions.

But even saying to yourself “I’m feeling a lot of painful stuff. I can’t do anything about it right now, but I see you, feelings. I know you exist.” is way better and more helpful than trying to pretend the pain doesn’t exist, or that you’re perfectly fine when you are not.

If you can, take a little bit of time to think about how you’re feeling, admitting that you’re not okay, that you’re hurting, that you are scared — or whatever it is that’s going on with you. It’s the healthiest thing you can do. It will get you unstuck and it will help you to cope.

And it will help you find a way forward, too. We cannot solve a problem, fix a thing or make anything better if we don’t know what we are working with.

2 - Make space for what you feel

This is very personal. You are the only one who can know or decide what works for you. But just as we make space for joy, we can make space for sadness, grief, pain and sorrow.

My method of choice is writing; as you may already know, I do a lot of journaling.

But I also use other tools:

🌱 A simple list of feelings and emotions

I do this almost every day, as part of my daily journal. It’s quick and allows me to do an “emotional dump” whenever I need it. It’s more of a maintenance thing; a way to keep things from piling up too much until they blow up in my face or drag me under to the depression pit.

🌱 Writing poetry

There’s something powerful about turning pain into beautiful, haunting verses. What I write is very raw, sometimes unfinished; but it’s not meant to be polished, it’s not written for anyone but me.

I write to take these shards of glass from under my ribs, to pour the hollowness from my chest into paper. To shape my sorrow into something I can comprehend, touch, instead of the formless, unending darkness that hides inside my skull.

And I like to go back and re-read it, even years after — for me, it’s staring at the jagged, broken pieces of myself, and finding beauty, courage and strength in them.

🌱 Creating image galleries or compositions that express what I’m feeling

Looking for photos that match my emotions somehow helps me work through them. Thoughts like “Yeah, this picture conveys despair but… it’s not exactly what I need. I want something that evokes being lost, unmoored” help me clarify and unearth what’s really in my heart.

🌱 Singing songs that match my emotions

Sometimes I don’t have the words I need, so I borrow someone else’s lyrics. And actually singing along helps me to really connect with what I’m feeling and letting it out. Is not rare for me to end up crying as I sing; and even though it’s painful, it helps.

I have actual playlists on Spotify for this.

🌱 Writing fanfic

For me, few things are more helpful to process trauma than working through it via a character; giving them all my feelings and emotions, and then telling a story of how that character overcomes the challenges and gets everything I need.

🌱 Allowing myself to cry.

Sometimes, that’s the only thing that will make me feel better.

If I can’t just sit down and cry, watching stuff that makes me cry helps. Personally, I don’t like depressing things; fiction that makes me emotional because people are good or kind, overcome challenges or get a happy ending works better for me.

But you do you; whatever works for you is always the right choice. 💚

🌱 Sadness journal

This is new; but it occurred to me that just like a journal for joy is a good, healthy practice, having a dedicated place to work through the pain is a good idea.

I’m actually excited about this; messing around with text, images, colors and quotes to process darker, heavier feelings.

That’s It For Today!

This was at the same time very hard to write, and very easy to write.

I hope it’s helpful to you, even in a very small way. 💙

And if you’d like to share, tell me: have you allowed space for your sadness or other difficult feelings? How are you working through them, if at all?

Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿

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Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :)

I wrote about this last year: The Joy of a Slow, Soft Day

And maybe, maybe, find the courage to plan for a day like this. Add it to the calendar and see what happens.

Maybe.

But that was a dream. It took me months to finally get here; to actually plan for it. Make it happen.

Come with me? Let’s make it happen for you, too. 💛🌿

The world keeps spinning out of control around us.

The year has started, a month and a half are gone, and we need to take a break.

You need to stop, breathe, raise your head above the water, if just for a moment.

A day, a weekend. An evening, half an hour.

Something.

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🌿 Intentional Rest

Have you ever noticed that intentional rest feels different — more… well, restful. Restorative. Healing.

It’s not the same to stop because you are exhausted, or resting because you’re ill. It’s emotionally different, besides the obvious physical differences.

It’s important to rest and recover when you need it.

But stopping before you’re depleted—that’s where the gold is. Down that path lay amazing things.

However…

It probably feels impossible.

At least for me, it does: a slow, soft day.

A day to focus on nurturing, joyful activities.

A day of no rushing, no pushing, no forcing.

A day for you, for your soul. For rest and for quiet.

🌿 The many reasons why this is (apparently) impossible

How many of these crossed your mind when you thought about taking a slow day?

I don’t have time. I need to work. The world is on fire. I have too many obligations. My family won’t allow it. I can’t stop.

I don’t deserve it.

I know this may be hard to do; besides our societal conditioning, there are many circumstances that make it very complicated. Single-parenting, illness or chronic conditions, being a caretaker, job responsibilities… I get it.

If you can’t get a full day, plan for a morning or afternoon. Even an hour. Anything that’s available to you will be useful and restorative.

🌿 What would be your dream slow day of softness and gentleness?

For me it would go something like this:

• Wake up slowly. Stretch, yawn. No hurry to get up.

• Read in bed for a little bit. No news, no social media. A book or some fun things from my Read Later list. Or some lovely poetry.

• Get up, cozy up in the sofa with my journals, mate, a blanket and some soft music.

• Around 11 am make the bed, tidy up a little.

• A light, delicious lunch.

• Play with journals - decorate my main journal, make collages for my travel journal, add notes & quotes

• Color a page or two on my favorite coloring book

I could go on, but you get the idea. All my favorite activities. The things that make me sigh with longing.

🌿 What will be on your list?

Also: just thinking about this is stirring up a lot of anxiety for me. As if I’m not allowed to even think about such an indulgent thing.

If you’re feeling the same, know you’re not alone. It’s normal and understandable to have a lot of feelings about doing something so subversive and radical as allowing ourselves to get some damn rest. 😉

🌿 This Week’s Quest - A Slow Day of Softness & Gentleness

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - The Dream

Get a piece of paper, a pen and 15 minutes.

• What would your ideal, dream Slow Day look like?

  • Write it down. Make a list. Or a poem!

  • Don’t censor anything. At this stage, you’re drafting your dream. Anything is possible. Just go for it. Write down the most luscious, peaceful, joy filled things you’d like to do or enjoy.

• Set it aside for a bit.

• If you think of more things, go back and add to it. No matter how impossible or ludicrous they seem.

2 - The Possibilities

After a few hours or a couple of days, sit with your list again.

• Figure out which things are possible as-is; the easy, uncomplicated items. Copy them to a new list.

• Take a look at the items that seem impossible or too complicated.

  • Can you simplify them? Or enjoy them in a different form?

  • For example: I can’t take a walk on my favorite forest because it’s too faraway and it would take me too long to go there and back; it’s a whole day trip. But I can enjoy the nearest park — it’s a 10 minute walk to get there.

• Add your modified / simplified items to your new list.

• Sort your activities into a loose plan for the day. What would you like to do in the morning? In the afternoon? How are you closing the day?

3 - The Plan

Here comes the part that can turn your dream into a reality. Look at your list and figure out:

• Make a list of necessities:

  • Items you need for your activities, like journals, books, games, blankets, candles, etc.

  • Food! Decide in advance what you’re going to enjoy, so you don’t spend precious time grumbling when you get hungry. If you’re cooking make sure you have all the ingredients stocked.

  • Meds. Make sure you have everything you need so you won’t have to run to the pharmacy.

  • If you’re like me, you’re going to want to do a little bit of cleaning and tidying up. Do this BEFORE your Slow Day — the day or weekend before it. Otherwise, we know the slow day will turn into cleaning day.

• Get help if you need it.

  • If at all possible, ask someone to help you with the responsibilities you can’t postpone, be it work stuff, caretaking tasks or watching your children.

• Schedule it.

  • Even if it just half an hour. If you don’t add it to your calendar, it won’t happen. You know it won’t.

  • You can also buddy up with someone to make sure you will take your slow day and enjoy it, instead of looking at it like free time to catch up with the three billion things you need to catch up with.

• Treat this as a sacred time.

  • Once you have scheduled it, protect it. Fight for it.

  • Don’t allow anyone — not even yourself — to take this time and use it for something else.

• Enjoy your slow day of softness, gentleness and joyful restoration! 😊💚

📚Reads

➡️ How to take a “Slow Day”

The benefits of an extended break- in a single day.

My progress through the day was not working through a to-do list in my head or phone. I had plenty of things to do having just returned from a trip, but I breathed deeply and trusted I would remember to get it all done in due time. Or if I didn’t, also fine.

Dishes done, I slowly walked to the living room. I actually smiled as I saw my poor backpack which was in need of a deep clean. A month of sunglasses and God knows what else smashed into it. I started to clean it out. One mangled item at a time. I imagined the backpack happily participating as a gutted it, like that scene in the Wizard of Oz where they replace all the scarecrow’s hay, and he sings along, in the Merry Old Land of Oz.

A different take on a slow day. I especially love “the backpack happily participating” — it’s a wonderful idea that will try as soon as I can. Add some magic to daily chores by imagining the house and the objects happily participating. 😁

➡️ Mondays are always slow

The antidote to rise and grind

I’m trying to shed the guilt and self-blame I feel about this. I’m trying to embrace my slow Mondays for what they are — a necessary part of my weekly rhythm. I’ve always worked like this. I will probably always work like this. And that’s okay.

The work that needs to get done will still get done. My unfinished tasks will still be there tomorrow. The world won’t fall apart because I take it slow on Mondays.

Slow days - or the spirit of a slow, gentle day - can be a weekly thing.

➡️ January Notebook - The Slow Living Issue

Winter stars, peace and Wassailing

In the ebb and flow of the year, this is still very much a season of rest. So there will be no mentions of goals or resolutions in this newsletter, thank you very much.

We’ll be following the lead of our pagan ancestors instead, continuing the Midwinter festivities over into January and focusing on all the slow, gentle, warming aspects of this month.

In this newsletter, we’ll be cosying up with hibernation rituals, drinking warming spiced drinks and continuing the festive spirit of last month with an Orchard Wassail.

Loads of inspiration for the Slow Wintery Day of your dreams.

🌿 That’s It For Today!

It may take quite a bit of thinking and planning, but I promise: having a Slow Day of Softness and Gentleness is worth it. 💚

Even if it takes a month to be able to do it. Start today. You deserve it.

If you’d like, share your Dream Slow Day plans with me. I’d love to cheer you on as you work on it. 😊

Until next time. —Nospheratt

If you enjoyed this, click the ❤️ or share it with someone? Thank you so much! 😊💚

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Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :)

I had so much fun with last week’s quest — Turn Your Journaling Into a Practice of Joy — that I decided to try something new. 😊 I hope you come along! 💛

🌱 Joy For Everyone

You don’t have to be a journal keeper to enjoy this!

My intention isn’t to get you writing about your day or your life. 1

The goal here is to create a space in your week to mess about with joy, color, permission, sparkles of creativity, images, words, emotions, things that speak to you.

It doesn’t have to take a lot of time either, if you’re busy; even half an hour will be enough to connect with yourself and make something purely for the joy and fun of it. Even 15 minutes will do.

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🪴 How This Works

It’s very simple!

• You get the prompts on Fridays.

  • I will send you 3 variations of the same theme, so you can choose the one that resonates the most with you. Or do two, or all three!

  • There’s no shoulds here. Ever. Do what makes your heart happy.

• You interpret them however you wish. They’re not assignments — they’re inspiration. 💫

• You make something based on that.

• You share it in a note if you’d like, and tag me! I’d love to see what you come up with. 😁✨

🌵 What Do You Need

1 - A notebook

You can do it in a journal you already have, of course. I am going to start a new one just for this. Any excuse to get a new notebook! 😂 2

You could also use one of the pretty notebooks you have stashed (cough like I do cough), or an old notebook you have laying around. A sketchbook would be great, too; or even a binder and some sheets of paper.

Anything that feels good to you will be perfect.

2 - Stuff to write, draw or paint

Depending on what is your jam. Ideally, gather your materials in a box, case or bag so they’re easily accessible when you’re ready to have fun with your journal. Some ideas:

• Pens and pencils (I’m partial to erasable pens. They give me a lot of freedom to make mistakes and not worry about it.)

• Colored pencils or crayons

• Paints and brushes

3 - Stuff to decorate, if you’re into that

You don’t have to be! But if you like to mess around with artsy things, get whatever materials strike your fancy. Like:

• Stickers

• Printed materials - you can print things and use glue to add them to your journal!

• Cut out materials - clippings from magazines, coloring books, newspapers…

• Scraps of pretty papers, tags, cards - anything that you like and get your hands on.

• Scissors

• Glue stick or sticky tape

• Washi tape

• Stamps

Let your creativity run wild. I’ve been know to cut pasta boxes and bread wrappers to make stickers for my journals. 😂

🌳 This Week’s Theme - Color Swatch

Ideas & inspiration for journaling joy.

We are starting with Color, because it’s a big source of joy for me at this moment.

🪴 Prompts

• Favorite colors

• The colors that are speaking to you this month

• Colors for joy

🌱 Ideas

• Make a color swatch — like I did the one pictured above. 😀

• Draw & paint a pattern with your chosen colors

• Grab a printable Pantone-inspired Swatch page (and some inspiration) here: 10 Creative Ways To Swatch Pens In Your Bullet Journal. Have fun coloring it, and then stick it to your journal. Just remember to print it in a size that will fit your journal, or make plans to fold the page before you add it. 😊

🌿 That’s It For Today!

I hope you have fun with this. If you’d like, share your creation in Notes and tag me! I’d love to see what you make. 💚

➡️ Next up: on Monday we’re deep diving into the why and how of planning a Slow Day of Softness and Gentleness, and why you need a day like that. Don’t miss it! 😊

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Until next time. 💚 —Nospheratt

Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :)

🏳️‍🌈 Small Stands Tall

Dear Substack Community —

When you came to Substack to write or create or read, you probably thought this would be a cool place to grow and explore. And it is. But Substack leadership has put a lot of mechanisms in place to promote and platform voices that are large, hateful, and intent on harming others through disinformation.

We—the collective, small voices of creators and community members on Substack—believe that this is wrong, it is hurtful, and it has the potential to stifle growth for many of us. Worse, it further marginalizes many of us who are actively targeted by the increasing wave of local and global laws, policies, and social stigmas being promoted around us.

Small voices have big power when we stand together in solidarity, and most of the publications on Substack are small, just like us. This means we get to decide how and where we spend our time, money, and attention.

Signers of this letter believe in the following:

• We help our neighbors by calling out hate-speech, racism, misogyny, intolerance, bigotry, xenomisia, homomisia, transmisia, ableism, genocide, and violence when and where we see it by reporting and blocking such content and sharing the collective knowledge about harmful accounts.

• We endeavor to build community by caring for one another. Caring means showing up for one another even (especially) when it is hard or scary to do.

• We reject the intentional platforming of voices that spread hatred and disinformation.

We stand proudly for kindness and inclusivity, and we invite you to stand with us. Small voices can achieve huge change when we unite.

Signed,

Small Voices against Big Hatred

🏳️‍⚧️ A Call to Action

SmallStack is posting an open letter to the collective community of Substack. This is NOT an open letter to Substack leadership—they’ve given us no reason to believe they will listen to our voices, so we won’t waste our time or energy on them. Instead, this letter is for you, for your friends, for the people you are connected to, and for those we have not yet met. You can join us in this effort by also posting this letter on your publication, by sharing this movement on social media, and by restacking Notes of this project. Our voices are stronger together, and we need your help to make a difference.

Small Stands Tall — an open letter to the community

I stand by these words with joy, with love, with hope for a better world.

And I hope you do, too. 🌿

Until next time. —Nospheratt 🏳️‍🌈

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Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. You’re receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy! :)

I do a lot of journaling.

It’s one of my favorite things; I’ve been doing it since I was 9. There were times when I stopped, but I always come back to the practice, because not only it helps me immensely to deal with trauma, but because it gives me a lot of joy. 1

Since I started doing it in the 80s, when computers were still something out of Sci-Fi movies and maybe the NASA quarters, I did all my journaling on paper. I used any notebook I could get my hands on; sometimes I would take my used school notebooks, rip out the written pages, and then make the cover pretty with gift wrapping paper or fabric.

In 2011 I started journaling digitally. I installed a wiki on my computer, and it was fantastic. My journals now were searchable; I could link entries to other pages and older entries to add context and find connections.

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Since 2020 I do my journaling on my Notion. I have a dashboard and a pretty fantastic set-up.

Last year I went back to journaling on paper, too. 2

It started like this:

I still miss those burned diaries. 3 So I’m doing this again.
Paper and ink and time and silence.
Blessed silence.
Quiet, and a gray day. Small birds — sparrows — among the orange-yellow-brown leaves. Magpies in the distance, watching over their domain. And this sadness, and fear.

(You can probably guess why I was sad and scared. )

Going back through the last few months there’s a lot of heartbreak, sadness and grief.

There’s also quite a bit of wisdom, understanding, poetry and celebration.

I’m not abandoning my digital journal; it’s complex and very useful, and I've tailored it with trackers and views that work for me; so I’m keeping both versions as they complement each other.

But journaling on paper feels more meditative, more creative. I’ve always loved paper and writing. It’s a joyful practice; even when things are hard, but especially when I write about everyday joys, big and small.

🌈 Colorful Joy

Back in the 80s and 90s, when I kept all those journals and had notebooks filled with quotes, lyrics and my own writing, I used to decorate them with colored pencils. My favorite method was to color over the words, creating layers with different colors applied over one another.

Like this:

In January I found the pencil pictured above, in my pencil jar. I’d bought it as a souvenir on MAD - Madrid Artes Digitales - last year. 4 I had never used it, but as soon as I saw it when I was getting ready to do some journaling, I remembered my old notebooks and how I loved to make them beautiful.

I’ve been adding colorful highlights to my journals non-stop since then. 😄

You can do the same thing with normal colored pencils. But I enjoyed the novelty of the multicolored pencil so much, I got more rainbow pencils. I’m giddy with delight. I smile every time I think about them.

🌿 Finding Meaning in Joy

I can’t really explain how much joy I’ve found in this very simple practice. But it’s one of those things that feels like recovering a part of myself that was long lost—to time, to trauma, to oblivion.

It feels like doing something nice for younger me. The person who suffered so much, who had so little, who was so strong and brought me here, to this amazing life we have now.

Like a hug for child me, who taught me that there’s joy to be found in the smaller, most trivial things.

It’s whispering, I’m here, I’m here. We made it. We are okay. We are happy.

You could say it’s silly. it’s just some colored pencils. But.

We are the ones who create meaning, remember?

🌿 Something Just For You

There are many other joys in journaling.

Space to be myself. To write poetry, to ramble, to be happy or angry.

To be ashamed, to hide, to give myself grace.

The ritual of sitting here every morning, opening my journals, taking a breath and checking in. How do I feel today? What do I need right now?

Sometimes lighting a candle, just for the fun of it.

Writing down my story, the world as I see it. Chronicling little bits of history and how much I don’t understand, can’t comprehend.

Journaling is an intersection between finding myself and being creative.

It’s one of the very few things that’s truly only for me. No expectations. No judgement. No way of getting it wrong or not being good enough.

Journaling is an intensely personal thing.

It can be anything you want, anything you need. A tool for self-knowledge, a record of your life, a place to explore your thoughts or write down your dreams.

It can be a sanctuary for the bad times, a refuge when you’re overwhelmed, a map of joy when everything feels wrong.

Make it yours. Make it messy or structured, beautiful or ugly, make it you.

This Week’s Quest - The Joy Of Journaling

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - Try different journaling types

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already enjoy journaling.

If you don’t, if you’ve never tried — give it a go? You may be surprised of how much enjoyment you can find in it.

And even if you’re a veteran journal keeper like me, trying different formats or a new medium can be a lot of fun.

Long form journaling is the best known type of journal, but there’s no right way to do it, either. You can find something that suits you, that really is filled with joy. Some options:

• A line a day - write one line every day, about anything you want

• Lists - I adore my One List a Day Journal

• Art journal - doodle or paint or make collages or whatever suits your fancy

• Photo journal - a picture a day

• Junk journal - a journal filled with personal mementos and recycled materials

2 - Add joy

Whatever form or medium you choose, how can you add joy to it? What would make it more joyful to you?

• Make it a ritual. Schedule time for it. Treat it as “you time”, self-care, replenishment, creative practice. Create a journaling playlist or set aside a special candle. Choose a specific tea or beverage to accompany your journaling. Keep your favorite pens or pencils near your journal.

• Add colors. Stick to a color theme, or make it a rainbow. Or do it all in black & white if you enjoy that vibe!

• Get crafty. Stickers, colored pencils, washi tape, stamps, bits of paper - make it fun and personal.

• Create meaning. Add photos, stories, memories. Things you remember and happenings you don’t want to forget.

📚Reads

➡️ The Ultimate Guide: How To Create A Junk Journal

A junk journal is a handmade book filled with personal and recycled materials to store memories and ideas.

As its name implies, the pages are filled with material that’s usually thrown away. Think newspapers, old train tickets, fabric scraps like lace and ribbons, mismatched buttons, stamps, and more.

You can make your junk journal uniquely yours with mementos like photographs, dried flower petals from a loved one, old magazines, or brochures from a trip…sky’s the limit.

➡️ 20 Types of Journals to Keep

It’s not just the romanticized quotes of famous authors telling us that journaling has immense benefits for our overall well-being, science has something to say as well. To sum it up, research has shown that journaling can be highly beneficial for people suffering from various psychological conditions (ADHD, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD…), as tracking thoughts, conditions, and creating daily structures helps self-reflection.

(…) Moreover, science shows that writing activates the left brain hemisphere, our rational headquarters, simultaneously deliberating the creative right brain to just feel.

🎥 Watch

I’m sooo excited to try these ideas for my travel journals! 😄

🌳 Quote

That’s It For Today!

I’m curious: are you a journal keeper? If yes, what’s your favorite format/medium/tool?

If not, have you tried or thought about it?

Until next time. 💚 —Nospheratt

Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. Enjoy! :)

Today the day woke up gray and dark.

Everything is quiet and still, hushed for the rain that is coming. The trees are waiting for spring, bare branches patient, strong, steadfast.

My heart is inspired by their resilience. I believe we’re like them — standing among the darkness, bare but steadfast. Holding promise of a colorful and alive future.

But right now, we are entering a harsh winter that’s going to last years. Even as spring comes, even as the light of summer burns bright, even as the leaves turn again with the arrival of fall.

It’s not going to be easy.

We’re going to need fuel, rest, replenishment. Motivation and courage.

Joy is all of those things.

Joy doesn’t replace any emotion; it holds them all and keeps them from swallowing us whole. Society has failed to understand this. When it tells us to find joy in suffering, it is telling us to let it go, to move on, to smile through it. But joy says, Hold on to your sorrow. It can rest safely here.”
― Cole Arthur Riley, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us

Joy can hold all that we are, all that we feel.

It’s the place where we can take refuge, take a break, find some solace.

It’s also a conduit for community—shared joy is one of the strongest things that I know.

And it’s a source of energy and inspiration. The deep breath you didn’t realize you needed.

Joy will get you through.

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You can’t feel joy all the time; it’s not a constant state, something you achieve or acquire and are done.

But you can find joy every day.

It’s not even particularly hard, most days. (There will be horrible days when joy feels impossible. That’s true, and that’s okay. Joy will always be there, nearby, waiting for you to return to it.)

Most days, you just need to make space for it.

Look for it, even for a moment. Open the door or close your eyes.

Joy is there, in colorful pencils and short poems. In a new leaf, an old photo, the daily coffee.

Like any other practice, you get better at it with time and… practice. 😁

What does a daily practice of joy looks like?

⭐ Paying attention.

Little things hold so much joy. Like the sparrows jumping from naked branch to naked branch, tittering and looking for early seeds. The perfect cup of tea. Wearing your favorite rainbow socks.

⭐ Looking for it.

It’s a bit like bird watching, I imagine. At first, you only recognize the most common, flashier birds. But with time, you start to perceive differences in their songs, you spot elusive species while you’re out and about.

You’re attuned to them, so you can spot a little joy from miles away. At any moment, you can stop, look around and find some joy. Right at this moment.

• Scribble a silly poem or make a doodle.

• Write a quote on your journal.

• Look out the window and name some clouds.

• Watch a funny video. Listen to a favorite song.

Anything counts. 😊

⭐ Keeping a log.

I’m always banging about making lists and writing things down, because that’s how we make things last in time and anchor joy in our being.

We are hardwired to remember bad things and forget good experiences. It’s a survival thing. But once you start keeping a log of the joy you find in your life, you’ll be surprised of how much of it there is. Big things, of course; but mostly the small, everyday things.

It also helps with the practice — once your brain learns that you’ll be writing about it (or taking pictures, drawing, making collages; your log can take any form or shape you like) — you’ll be more likely to notice and look for joy everywhere, in the smallest, easiest things.

⭐ Planning

Making time for joy is probably the hardest thing.

But making space, even allowing yourself to feel and share joy can be hard, feel impossible. “How can you be joyful while the world is burning?!”

That’s precisely why! We’re looking for joy, making space for it, sharing and calling others to find their own because the world is burning. Because we need it to keep going, to live instead of only surviving.

To be able to make time and space for joy, you need to plan for it.

📅 Add it to your fucking calendar.

Yes, I’m serious. Yes, it’s necessary. Yes, it works!

Even if it feels silly, go and add “Find joy” to your calendar, right now. You can always delete it later, if you want. But try it. Add a daily reminder to look for joy and record it.

This Week’s Quest - The Practice of Joy

Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.

1 - Frame it in a way that feels helpful and fun.

Name your practice of joy. What type of thing appeals to you, fits well with your personality, your hobbies, your life?

Some ideas:

• Adventurer - you’re an explorer, setting out to discover undiscovered joy!

• Scientific method - come up with hypothesis for things that will give you joy, and test your assumptions. Record your findings.

• Creative practice - what are the most creative ways to find joy in your day? Make art about it or inspired by it.

• Archivist - you’re in charge of recording the history of joy in your life.

• Journalist - investigating the most important personal stories about joy.

• Museum curator - responsible for curating the best collection of joy you’ve ever seen, complete with fun facts and dates.

2 - Add it to your calendar. 📅

Add a daily reminder somewhere, until you don’t need it anymore.

If a daily reminder feels like too much, add a weekly reminder to record the joys of the week, and make some plans for joy the next week.

I’m not necessarily talking about scheduled events like meeting with friends or going to the movies, even though those obviously qualify. But add things like “coloring book session”, “a cup of my especial tea” and “listen to the birds during lunch break”.

Yes, schedule those too, so you’ll have a little sparkling reminder of all the joy that is available to you, of the small things that add joy to your life.

It can be also a question on your journal: what joy did you find today? What joy are you discovering tomorrow?

3 - Set up your log. 🪴

If you haven’t already, set up the place where you’re going to keep track of your joys.

Want more ideas? Check out The Quest For Joy. I suggested some cool stuff you can use to keep a log of your joy.

Another one packed with ideas and how-to: How To Create a Personal Archive of Joy — Collect joy & stock up for bad times.

And if you think this is silly, try it for a month. Or even a week.

Then go back and browse through your notes / photos / journal / art.

And come back and tell me how it feels, having that collection of good things to access any time you need or want to. 😉

📚Reads

I have created a section with my favorite posts - the best things I’ve written.

Take a look, I’m sure you’ll find something you missed or would like to revisit: Best of Joy Every Week.

🎥 Watch

I got so much inspiration from Susannah’s video about her journaling. Each of those journals is a collection of joy. 😊

📕 My Journaling Reset - Creative Joy Club

—How I got my journaling groove back (and a personal message from me)

🎙️Listen

I’ve finished watching Derry Girls this week (if you haven’t, get on it ASAP - it’s weird, hilarious, poignant and smart), and the final episode starts with Orla dancing to this song. It’s one of the best, most joyful things I’ve ever seen.

I had forgotten about the song, but now it’s back on my rotation, adding joy and hope to my morning. 💛

That’s It For Today!

I’m trying this thing of sending the newsletter on Mondays - I’m hoping to help you set up your week for joy, and start with a smile. Let me know what you think! 😊

And then go schedule your time for joy!!!!! 😉💫

Until next time. —Nospheratt

Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. Enjoy! :)

This year we’re going to experiment with Monthly Themes - following the seasons, exploring different paths and ways to connect your joy.

Are you ready? 😃

❄️ THIS MONTH - WINTER

FEBRUARY - The Practice of Joy

1. How To Find Joy Every Day

2. Turn Your Journaling Into a Practice of Joy

3. Easy, Joyful Journaling for Busy People

4. Slow Days of Softness and Gentleness

5. Very Small Joys

🌼Spring

• MARCH - Self-Care

• APRIL - Clearing Space

• MAY - Recovering & Reclaiming

🔆Summer

• JUNE - Exploring New Things

• JULY - Creative Adventures

• AUGUST - Connection & Community

🍂 Fall

• SEPTEMBER - Creating Memories

• OCTOBER - Reconnect With Self

• NOVEMBER - Reconnect With Home

❄️ Winter

• DECEMBER - Celebration & Ritual

This is not written in stone; it’s a plan. A compass, an intention.

But I’m very excited about it. I love making plans that give me things to look forward to, that fill me with anticipation.

Come be excited with me! 😀😊😎

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🌳 Quote

That’s It For Today!

Which theme or season are you most excited about? 😊

Until next time. —Nospheratt