Simple Joys of the Month: September, 2024

My favorite simple, sensory joys from last month...

Welcome to October! For once in my life I’m actually sending out SJOTM on the first day of the new month and for that, I am patting myself on the back and saying, “Way to go you overwhelmed freak, you! One more thing to check off of ye olde to-do list!”

So before we—as a group—jump into OctoberNovemberDecemberOMGit’s2025 (we’re on a slippery slope to January from here on out), let’s take a moment to reflect on the many simple joys that we were able to experience over the past month.

Here are some of mine… [New to SJOTM? Read the backstory here.]

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Pictured above = Teddy’s September masterpiece (note: doing a drawing of a bunch of drawings felt a little ridiculous to me, so I’ve included a pic of the real thing here, instead.)

Last month, Teddy took over the gallery wall in our dining room and converted it into his very own art wall. The time and energy he spent on this project was, frankly, astounding (for a 5 year old), and seeing how much joy (and pride) it brought him brought me tons of joy, too.

Now to find a time to help him remove this wall and “catalog” all of his works in a notebook for safekeeping…

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On the day that I finished listening to this book by Catherine Newman, I was on an early morning walk and had tears streaming down my face as I walked. It’s beyond moving and funny and beautifully-written and OOF it got me.

5 Stars, highly recommend! But please: only read or listen if you’re ready for an EMOTIONAL JOURNEY.

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I had guac 4-5 times in September and you know why? BC GUACAMOLE IS THE SH*T, that’s why. Thankful for ripe avocados and the many chances I had to enjoy them last month. Let’s hope there’s lots of guac in my future this month, too!

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My brother works for Nike and thus, we all get a family discount (woohoo!) which means MORE SNEAKERS FOR ME (and everyone else but I’m just talking about ME here!). This pair is my latest purchase and they’re perfect for fall. Love me a vintage-inspired sneak!

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I adore bright summer colors but I got a manicure about 10 days ago and this time, I chose a deep, dark red (the exact same color as my red wine the other night) and woosh, Fall Mode = activated. Every time I look at my nails I get excited about this new season. Like I said, SIMPLE JOYS.

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And last but not least, MY BIGGEST NOT-SO-SIMPLE JOY OF SEPTEMBER:

Your reactions to my book cover + pre-order announcement! Every time I received a message or comment from someone saying they’d preordered my book I felt like this emoji:

It’s not often that an emoji captures exactly how you feel but this time, this one does. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you who have already pre-ordered my comic memoir.

[And if you haven’t, there’s still time so please please please do so—if you can— because pre-orders are REALLY important in determining the future success of a book! Links are here.]

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Annnnnnd lastly (ICYMI), here’s one final reminder about my upcoming Cape Cod yoga retreat, which is swiftly-approaching and for which we have 1 “Day Pass” (come for all the days but don’t sleep onsite) left…

You can find all of the details here or at the button below:

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I hope that you, too, can find a few moments to reflect on your simple joys from September today.

Thanks for reading and happy spooky season, friends!

xoxo,
Mary Catherine