It’s been a tough year for all. I don’t need to expound. Instead, I’ll share how I’m trying to find the joy around me. My muse has been hiding since very early 2020. My fingers are slowly finding their way back to the keyboard to write two new books in the wake of a year of promotion and marketing plus other small projects. It has been like pulling teeth to get that muse to come out of the shadows though. People ask about writer’s block a lot. It’s not that I don’t know what to write—it’s the emotional energy that goes into it and external factors (many mental) that prevent the words from reaching page.

The fingers are moving-so-slowly. I spent a lot of the summer reading, staying afloat with kiddos home 24/7 since March (and now we are on to remote learning), and doing house projects. Anything to avoid that nagging muse! I’ve gotten very good at avoiding, with my mantra being “maybe tomorrow.”

So back to that finding joy…

This summer my family did our best to keep it creative and regional by hopping around to states where travel is safe while heeding all precautions. It helps that we live in New England, home to meadows, forests, mountains, and beaches. It also helps we love nature! So hiking is our escape. The beach became our playground. Being inventive with social distancing while still exploring nature’s bounty became our norm.

I also gloried in caring for my flower gardens and fruit bushes/trees…plus I added my first ever vegetable garden! I took good notes to apply next year but I am pretty proud of my success! I grew zucchini, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, snap peas, green beans, broccoli, two types of tomatoes, and basil. Not bad for a 4 x 8 raised bed. My raspberry bushes are on overdrive this fall. For the first time this year, I got a June yield (small) in addition to the monstrous September yield (that bowl below is from one day, and I get that much daily or every other day. They will keep on going until frost says no more!). I’ve frozen so many berries and given away just as many. My raspberries definitely found joy this summer. :) My apple trees are happy, too. Now to get those green tomatoes to ripen as frost is knocking on the door…

In our bopping around New England during late summer/early fall, we visited the White Mountains in New Hampshire (my favorite place here after Maine, but Maine was off-limits this year for us), and the Berkshires in MA. We toured and dug in the Herkimer Mines of upstate NY for diamonds (okay, they are a special type of quartz, but so cool) and explored two caverns/caves. We hit the beach a half dozen times, strolled on farm and forest trails near our home, and my kiddos and hubs did some mountain biking adventures (while I drank coffee and read books).

Hands down, September is my favorite month of the year for many reasons. I think it is my “joy” month. Locals here love October, and I won’t argue it’s an equally nice month, but something about September entices me: late summer flowers, deep clear blue skies, early fall foliage, green grass, and the start of new schedules. It is the bridge between hot beachy days and crispy autumn evenings.

Some photos below of my walk with nature this summer/fall…

I found joy in nature this year. I’d love to hear from you where you find light in the darkness, where you find joy and hope in the daily.

‘til later

~Jean

P.s. My summer reading queue. Told you I did a lot of reading! I loved all these books! Learn more in my latest newsletter: