Finding Joy in the Middle of a Wild Week

Some weeks are wilder than others. And in our house, those weeks almost always seem to line up with Spirit Week at the kids’ elementary school or a time when Steven or I are traveling for work.

This week had both those elements—plus:

  • Annual checkups

  • A sick kiddo home from school

  • Important client conversations

  • Managing a tough incident at a soccer practice

  • Fabulous friend moments and catch-up calls with consulting colleagues

  • And, just for fun, a raccoon who has decided to nest in our eaves

With everything happening in our country and in the nonprofit sector, it can be hard not to let the heaviness take hold—or to feel like our small actions of resistance or care can’t compete with the relentless streams of awfulness attempting to overrun public good.

As a business owner, working parent, concerned citizen, community volunteer, family member, and friend—I am tired. My clients are tired. My friends are tired.

But I’m also hopeful.

Because I’ve seen the good that comes from caring for one another, from community, and from our commitment to making things better right where we are.

Moments of Joy This Week

Just this week, I had the chance to:

  • Celebrate friends who are doing incredible work while building businesses they love.

  • Donate to causes and people making a difference, because they shared their needs and how best to take action.

  • Watch communities rally to support members going through hard times.

  • See a coaching client receive (and really internalize) fantastic feedback from her CEO about her progress since we began working together earlier this year.

  • Hear from a consultant celebrating both business and family wins, who thanked me for a brief call more than a year ago that made an impact.

  • Watch kids at my children’s school look out for and support one another.

  • Contact my elected officials about issues that matter to me—and share those opportunities with others.

  • Support executive clients wrestling with critical change and strategy projects, and witness how thoughtful they are about how their decisions impact staff and community.

  • Volunteer as the neon-haired, tie-dye-wearing Cultural Arts Representative for the PTA and watch a school full of kids dance, sing, celebrate, and learn with Baba Bomani, a hip-hop MC teaching about the history of hip-hop, the power of rhythm and rhyme in learning, and the writing process.

It was a wild week—and one full of joy.

Where Did You Find Joy?

However wild your week was, I hope you found moments like these, too.

👉 To share your own joy moments—and to see those shared by others—you can join the conversation on LinkedIn here.

Photo by Zachary Kadolph on Unsplash

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