Bonjour! As I wrote recently, I've spent a lot of time at home over the last four months and had the pleasure of spending extra time with L'Husband and Le Chien. We are adjusting to our new home in Vermont and working from home in our home office spaces. Despite the uncertainty and stress of… Continue reading Quarantine Scenes: Bunnies in the Backyard
Bonjour! During this Fourth of July holiday weekend, I’m ruminating on what it means to be independent and free, values deeply rooted in American history and culture. To me, independence is the ability to live unfettered by external control or influence. Freedom is the ability to live free from oppression or restraint. Difficult to comprehend… Continue reading Ruminations on Independence Day
Bonjour! I wrote my first post on helping during the pandemic a couple of months ago. Things were still new, scary, and overwhelming, and I thought it was important to focus on positive ways to help in the community: stay home, donate, support local businesses, and find reliable information. This post re-shares what we can… Continue reading How Do I Help? Update
Bonjour! I've been thinking a lot lately about racism, sexism, and homophobia in American society. The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery once again throw into sharp relief the racial divide in the United States and the undeniable fact that our toxic culture places less value on certain lives than others,… Continue reading How to Be an Ally and Advocate
Bonjour! This post celebrates Joyful Living's first anniversary. I started this blog one year ago this week, just shy of my thirty-fifth birthday. To celebrate, Joyful Living has a fresh look. I updated some style, design, and layout elements and created dedicated pages for food, travel, joyful living, and work. I'm also experimenting with a… Continue reading Happy First Anniversary, Joyful Living!
Welcome to another installment of How I Work! How I Work #9 introduces Christiane Scheller, 36, the Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Scherzinger Pumpen in Furtwangen, Germany. Chris writes, “I was responsible for all marketing activities including the organisation of trade shows and events, print media, online marketing, and corporate communication strategies.” She… Continue reading How I Work #9: Christiane in Germany
Welcome to another installment of How I Work! How I Work #8 introduces Ryan Green, 36, a Field Curriculum Consultant for Medtronic based in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a member of product launch core teams and leads global training and education. For fun, Ryan loves to run and read, and also tipple the odd gin… Continue reading How I Work #8: Ryan in Alabama
Bonjour! This is a short post to say happy Memorial Day! I hope you had a nice holiday weekend and were able to relax and enjoy. I also want to thank you for following Joyful Living and supporting my writing. I appreciate you! This morning, I considered this quotation from William Henry Channing, a clergyman… Continue reading Happy Memorial Day from Joyful Living
Welcome to another installment of How I Work! How I Work #7 introduces Ayanna Coleman, 32, who currently lives in Tokyo and runs her own business efficiency and marketing consultancy, Quill Shift. Ayanna writes, “I’m a business efficiency and marketing consultant. I work with new entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits who know their passion and… Continue reading How I Work #7: Ayanna in Tokyo
Welcome to another installment of How I Work! How I Work #6 introduces Kelly Flynn, 41, an attorney in Weybridge, Vermont. After sixteen years, she is transitioning from corporate to advocacy work. Kelly enjoys hiking in the snow (“I’m terrified of snakes, so warm weather woods are out of the question”) and baking (“I won… Continue reading How I Work #6: Kelly in Vermont
Joyful Living with Katie Kritikos 