Quarterly Holidays

March 15 was one of my quarterly holidays, Day of Blooms. There are three parts to the Day of Blooms:

1. Serving Nature: Doing something to serve the world around us, whether it's planting a tree or picking up trash.

2. Recording Joys and Successes: Writing down all the little (and big) happy or rewarding moments from the last three months.

3. Setting Goals: Setting your goals for the next three months with your themes from the joys and successes in mind.

The next quarterly holiday is Ray Day on June 15. It is celebrated by:

1. Doing Something Kind: Spread kindness in the world, whether through donating to people or a cause you believe in, or volunteering your time, or some other means entirely.

2. Recording Joys and Successes: Writing down all the little (and big) happy or rewarding moments from the last three months.

3. Setting Goals: Setting your goals for the next three months with your themes from the joys and successes in mind.

After that comes my favorite, the Day of Leafs, on September 15. It is celebrated through:

1. Leaving What No Longer Serves You: Whether through a chant, burning a letter, or some other means, ritualistically saying goodbye to an item, person, or belief that no longer serves you.

2. Recording Joys and Successes: Writing down all the little (and big) happy or rewarding moments from the last three months.

3. Setting Goals: Setting your goals for the next three months with your themes from the joys and successes in mind.

The final quarterly holiday is Evergreen Day on December 15. Celebrating it involves:

1. Giving with intention: Giving a gift, whether an item, time, or experience, to someone you care about that will bring them joy.

2. Recording Joys and Successes: Writing down all the little (and big) happy or rewarding moments you can remember from the last three months.

3. Setting Goals: Setting your goals for the next three months with your themes from the joys and successes in mind.

Do you have any holidays you've created?

Joy Amidst Pandemic

This month has been a jarring study in contrasts. It feels like the world outside my living room is descending into chaos while my own life transforms in unexpectedly wholesome ways. Watching the world be wracked by pandemic reminded me that no tomorrow is ever guaranteed, and that's led to me pursuing goals I might have delayed in the past. Whatever happens, I want to know I stepped into my present with all of myself.

In doing so, I've opened the door to so many magical moments. I got engaged to a man I love deeply and who loves me with the same love and intensity. I've had the thrilling whirlwind of applying for a promotion at my workplace, and watching my career goals grow and progress, along with my confidence in myself and my own capabilities. I've kept a steady 4.0 at my college, and I won the first writing competition I've had the courage to enter since I was a child. Life is growing in magical, wonderful ways, and I can't help but wonder if I would have found this much joy if I hadn't looked mortality in the face through pandemic. In the darkest of times, I sought hope and joy and a future. And, more than anything, I sought to live true to myself and my goals.

How will you step into the present with your whole self today?

Rules For Myself: Forming a New Normal

It's strange how quickly a new normal can begin. COVID-19 feels like it's running rampant through the world around me, and I'm trying to stay in my house whenever I'm not at work. My coursework has moved online, and so I see no one but my cat five out of seven days a week.

At first it was brutally isolating, and I felt twitchy and very alone. But over time, with the help of a few rules for myself, things have begun to change.

The first rule is to get dressed every day. It's very easy to just crawl back in bed and sink into depression sleep if I don't force myself to insert some normalcy through putting on clothes.

The second rule is to reach out and tell a few people I appreciate them every day. This primes my brain for joy, and sets me up to see what I appreciate about people and the world. It also gives me a chance to connect with other human beings, which helps with the isolation.

The third rule is to set at least one goal for something to achieve. It gives me direction and a vague sense of structure, two things that are always integral to my personal mental health.

Do you have any rules for yourself that are helping you get through the days?

Day of Blooms

This Sunday (March 15) is one of my favorite holidays, and it’s one you’ve probably never heard of. I invented it about a year ago, as part of a series of quarterly holidays. This will be my second Day of Blooms, and I’m excited.

So what is the Day of Blooms? How do you celebrate it? There are three parts to that celebration.

Part one is serving nature. Whether you pick up trash at a park, plant a tree or garden, volunteer for an ecological cause, or something entirely different, do something on March 15 to make the Earth a better place to be.

Part two is to look back over the last two months and make a list of joys and successes. What positive decisions have you made? How have you grown? What are you most proud of yourself for? Big or small, write down those moments that lift you up.

Part three is goal setting. You looked back for joys and successes. Notice the themes in the things that raised you high, and look forward into the next three months to set your goals. What do you want to achieve? How can you get there? What can you do today to start toward those goals? Big or small, envision some things for the future.

Then make them bloom.

Do you have any personal holidays you celebrate? Share them below, and let me know if you decide to celebrate the Day of Blooms as well!

Looking Forward: My Third Decade

I turned thirty on the 30th, and I'm excited. Maybe not the normal reaction, but I've always loved the symbolism of new decades. There's so much opportunity inherent in the beginning of something, whether the beginning of a year, a decade, or a journey.

While the future is never predictable and always open to change, here are a few things I want to pursue in my next decade of life, both big and small:

• Researching trauma. Recently, I located a research opportunity that I plan to apply for. If I'm accepted, I'll be doing research on trauma in veterans.

• Graduating with my four-year degree. I am currently studying for a degree in Nonprofit Management.

• Living internationally. Right now, my dream destination is the Netherlands.

• Building a piece of furniture. There's a deck chair I've been wanting to build for a while now.

• Work with folks with complex trauma. I've found a calling in the work I do at a complex trauma shelter in my area, and I want to continue that for the foreseeable future.

• Honor my relationships. I place a lot of value on the people in my life, and I want to continue to grow those relationships that matter most to me.

What are some of your goals in the present? What are some you're working toward over time?