The YAY 4: Vaccine Fun, Books & More

Your mid-week dose of cheer and distraction.

Mar 25, 2021

Happy Wednesday!

If you’re new here, every other week, I share a handful of good things, linked distractions and tiny victories making me smile. A little departure from Friday’s longer, more introspective rambles.

Coming at you a little bit later than usual today, because I’ve been a bit out of it the last couple days. More on that below.

Here are four things brightening my week:

1.) Getting the Covid Vaccine!

That one gets the number one spot and honestly, I'd use multiple exclamation points and all caps if it wasn’t completely obnoxious to do so because that's how excited I am to be fully vaccinated.🎉 I mean, excited, relieved, grateful, appreciative… the list goes on.

I got my second dose earlier this week, and if I could have cartwheeled out the door afterwards, I would have. I 100% could not, however, have cartwheeled yesterday or even earlier today because I got a really cute post-vaccine reaction (also why this newsletter is so late today). Think fever, body aches, headache… par-tay. But I’m 100% not complaining because I feel fortunate to a.) know my immune system* is fighting the good fight, and b.) to have gotten the vaccine, period. ((And the reaction went away within a day!))

If and when you have the opportunity to get the vaccine, I sure hope you take it.

*The reaction I had is common after the second dose, but note if you don’t experience something similar, it is not a sign that the vaccine isn’t working or that you have a faulty immune system… everyone’s body is different.

2.) Writing Club.

I did something this week that I never thought I’d do — I joined a writing club. I don’t know why I never felt like this was “my thing,” given that I am a writer, but I’m just not really a group activity kind of gal, you know? Anyways, I recently discovered that this editor from Self magazine runs this online (read: Zoom) writing club where you literally jump on and write in silence on your own for one hour while 20 or so other strangers do the same with their computer cameras on, and maybe it's the pandemic talking but it sounded like a good time. And actually, that’s when I wrote this!

It's the accountability for me.

3.) Binging Patreon.

After typing that, I'm realizing that may read like the brand of tequila, but actually, I do indeed mean Patreon, which is a pay-wall backed site that a lot of podcasters and other creators use for extra episodes, to share their work, etc. I spent much of yesterday listening to Patreon posts from one of my favorite podcasts, Be There in Five, and it was such a delight. Plus, I realize we're all very used to this “free content 24/7” culture, but creating interesting, compelling, well-crafted, high-quality content (like podcasts, or essays, or stories, etc.) takes time and energy, and it’s kind of nice to be able to show someone you value their work by agreeing pay (a very small fee — less than a small latte at a coffee shop, if I'm being honest) for it.

4.) Books. Lots of Books.

I have always been a big reader, but part of last year was definitely a bit of a struggle to sit down and focus on a book, as much as I wanted to. (I’d set a goal to read a certain number over in GoodReads and didn’t quite hit that… whoops.) That being said, I was so happy learn recently that book sales were way up in 2020, and I’m hoping that trend continues. I’m loving the book I’m currently reading, “The Lions on Fifth Avenue” by Fiona Davis (if you love books about old time NYC and/or the book/publishing industry, I bet you'll like it too… and yes, I have very limited interests apparently 🙃). I also just bought “Bravey” by runner Alexi Pappas, and can’t wait to dive into that.

What are you reading these days? Any book suggestions?

And that’s it for today! Let me know in the comments what’s bringing you some joy this week.💫

See you Friday,

Joelle

So Many Somethings

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