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Month of Joy: Old Things by Betsy Dornbusch

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My father died this past spring. I made no announcements, attended no funerals, and cried no tears over his passing. Though Dad lived an hour away I hadn’t seen him for about fifteen years. Estranged is the proper word, but as a wordie (like some people are foodies) “estranged” always conjures up notions of arguments and betrayal, of tearful decisions, of heart-rendering loss. This was a more logical decision, a choice based on my emotional, familial bandwidth: I have a wonderful husband, two amazing kids, a mother I adore, brothers I admire, FIVE sisters-in-law and their extended families, two sets of great in-laws, seven first cousins… er. You get the picture. We have an abundance of family.

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Month of Joy: The Joys of Icelandic Literature

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It’s hard to pinpoint when my love affair with the prose and poetry of that chilly little speck of a country, who only last year managed to send a squad to compete in the Men’s World Cup, that was founded by a legendarily unruly band of malcontents who didn’t want to bend the knee to Harold Fairhair, that famously still has a population so small and inbred that there’s a dating app to evaluate if you’re too closely related to that hottie to have the warm drawers you do: Iceland. But my infatuation with that volcanic island very possibly started in elementary school, when I came across a copy of Inri and Edgar D’aulaire’s Norse Gods and Giants in my school library.

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Month of Joy: Top 5 Kids’ TV Shows by Catherine Hill

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My son is almost 2 years old and has started enjoying TV, so I find myself—for the first time in over two decades—watching TV for little kids. The main channel I watch is CBeebies, the BBC channel specifically for under 7s. As with any broadcast channel I watch at certain times, so I certainly haven’t seen all the available shows. There are some I don’t like much, and a few I mostly ignore, but there’s some good stuff for small people. Below are the five little kids’ shows that I most enjoy and feel good about watching with my son. Also, he’s currently really interested in octopuses and 2 of the shows below cause him to shout out “Oc-pus!” while we’re watching, which is pretty cute.

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Month of Joy: Busy, Busy, Busy… by Becca Evans

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This past year has been kind of crazy for me. I graduated from undergrad, started grad school, found myself struggling with my mental health and motivation a lot. I’ve been late on several things, from posts (like this one—sorry Jen!) to buying gifts for the holiday season, to getting more work done. But! Even though I’ve been stressed to the max, the past year has held a lot of joy for me, and I’m looking forward to the next year!

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Month of Joy: Summertime in Sydney by Thoraiya Dyer

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December in Sydney is summertime. Some of my greatest joys this time of year: My animal patients, the creativity of winter decorations in Sahara-like heat, the sound of cellos and the taste of chocolate. It’s a privilege being a veterinarian, and my patients come in two varieties – domesticated and wild. The sadness of their short lives, being there to see them sicken, staying stoic while they succumb to age or injury, as you shepherd them through their decline, are all balanced by the beauty, the brilliance, the miracle, that we get to share our time on the earth with them.

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Month of Joy: Patterns by Dave Robison

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“What brings you joy?” Such a simple question, right? WRONG! You’ve fallen victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is ‘Never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ but only slightly less well known is this: ‘Never ask a wordy over-thinker a simple question when… well… ANYTHING is on the line.’ Definitions So first… what IS Joy? The dictionary says it’s “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness,” so that narrows the field a bit. Ice cream, warm sheets on a cold night, sunsets, and the purring of a cat all evoke feelings of pleasure but I wouldn’t qualify them as a “great” pleasure.

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