Oh, gosh… it’s been seven years since my last Happiness 101 post.

Oops.

The world has had a tough year—one of the toughest for all of us alive today. A global pandemic is kind of a big deal, and we can easily find ourselves stuck in the doom and gloom of it all if we aren’t mindful, and consciously seeking silver linings.

I’m a fan of silver linings—gratitude, good things, happinesses. Here are some of my happiness highlights from 2020 so far.

• Started—and completed—a 100 Day Project on January 1st. A new 4×6″ piece of artwork every day!
• Signed another two-year lease on my wonderful home.
• Traveled solo for the first time ever, spending a week exploring Havana, Cuba from the sweetest little AirBnB.
• Welcomed 16 women to my seventh “Live Your Spirit!” creative play retreat weekend.
• Helped my younger son, Jake, with a few of his DJ GEØ-X events—a 50th birthday party, and a ski hill’s 100th anniversary!
• Hosted 15 super fun online Creative Play doodle classes for kids once schools closed due to Covid.
• Successfully converted my local 100 Day Project show into an online auction, and was brought to tears by the support of those who purchased my artwork.
• Discovered—and posted goofy videos on—TikTok!
• After a long pause, my relationship status changed—for the bestest!—when Shaun and I matched online at the end of April. Dating during Covid meant clocking over 100 hours of video calls in the five weeks before we felt comfortable meeting in person. We live almost two hours apart, so visits are super special when they happen every other weekend.
• My older son turned 19 and my younger son turned 14.
• Celebrated the 20th anniversary of my reunion with my birth mother, Leesa.
• Many long walks with dear friends.
• After many years without a pup in the house, my folks rescued a new furbaby!
• Enjoyed time learning new things: playing ukulele, baking bread, buns + donuts, growing basil, and drawing humans!
• Designed + launched my new JoeGirl.com website [you are here]

What are some of your silver linings from 2020 so far?
Share in the comments below!