everything is terrible, yet these things have brought me joy

update: November didn't kill me.

Dec 02, 2024

extreme cold does not bring me joy, but sundogs do

November has been both the worst and the best. I am ready for these outlandishly long + dark 30 days to be behind me.

During the height of the pandemic, I wrote almost-daily social media posts I called "EITTBMJ [everything is terrible, this brings me joy]," ones that would include various links, memes, reflections, or daily takeaways I came across. It was my first attempt to set a gratitude practice for myself.

Considering the challenging days of us ahead, I think it may be a tradition worth reviving.

The last few weeks have felt cold and rough for me, between dealing with 2 feet of snow and cold, all the (emotional) labours of teaching, plus helping an almost 18-year-old transition to adulthood. Along the way, I fell out of my daily gratitude practice. So to jumpstart this month, I'm committing to finding and recording my "one good thing" (OGT) each day.

It’s a fact that gratitude practices help train your brain to look more for the good in your life, and not just respond to all the bad. Rather than write another sad post about the deteriorating state of our world, I'd rather focus more on what has been bringing me joy lately.

Here’s my November list of EITTBMJ, in no particular order:

going to craft shows that support harm reduction in our community
embracing my oversized sweatshirts/bunnyhugs perimenopausal era
did I need a PHR holiday sweatshirt? yes, yes I did
being on a self-inflicted political news diet. I can happily announce I’ve dropped some of the weight of the world I was carrying
currently obsessing over the new Sturgill record, and this song in particular
wearing fingerless gloves all day, every day
opening up my sober advent calendar early, and encountering AF gems like these:
mmmm green bean water
Emma got accepted into Usask’s Psychology program! I still remember waddling down the College’s hallways, making many faculty visibly uncomfy with my oozing femininity
been taking of all my vitamins, like a grown up
receiving a care package from home, complete with advent ribbons, handwritten recipe cards from my grandma Marnie, along with some beaver nuggets from Buc-ee’s
today I completed my PEAK 10-class challenge, snow be damned! — bonus: I’m also on a text chain with friends where we all cajole each other into showing up
finally buying myself a new winter coat that’s actually warm
going on a panel to talk about campus life without alcohol
having a student I taught in 2020 for first-year tech comm reach out to tell me thanks — and he still remembers passive voice because of zombies!
finally deactivating my Twitter account and then re-finding my education community on Bluesky (I’m @grrrl)
300 days AF!
watching students succeed + find their voice in their 5-minute persuasive speeches
this Wednesday and Thursday we will have our “speaker awards” to wrap up our term (I may be especially proud of our award categories)
watching a French feminist film on the big screen to support Saskatoon Sexual Health
Emma and I are off to Hawaii in about a month! A friend & I got our paper accepted at the Hawaii International Conference on Education, and for the FIRST TIME EVER my girl and I will have a hot holiday. Best part? It’ll partially subsidized, plus I get to fill in another spot on my CV.
installed a bluetooth timer that allows me to control my outside lights via my phone — I am as happy as a middle-aged, cis white dude.
pre-snow’d