Give Yourself Permission to Play 🥳 

At the beginning of the summer, my friend Ralph shared an article he had written about goals. “By the end of the summer, I want to be able to say I did ______.” 

As someone who likes to set goals and accomplish them, I took the prompt seriously. I knew I could come up with a list of self-improvement goals, but something didn’t sit right. Eventually, I recognized my block: I didn’t need a new list of tasks to accomplish. What I needed was space. Space for delight. Space for joy.

The last two years have felt particularly difficult. I cared for my mother through her Alzheimer’s and end-of-life journey, sorted through nearly six decades of family history in our home, and navigated my husband’s multiple health crises. My spirit, understandably, had become worn down.  What I needed most this summer was not productivity—but replenishment.

So I set a new intention: Say yes to joy. And let me tell you—it has felt glorious. 🤩

~ Try a new hiking trail? Yes!
~ Plan a midweek trip to see a friend star in her first professional play? Yes!
~ Host a spontaneous dinner and game night? Yes!
~ Lend a hand on a big project? Yes!
~ Dance barefoot in the kitchen? Yes!
~ Enjoy a vineyard picnic and a Shakespeare play? Yes!
~ See Bobby McFerrin perform at a midday Monday concert? Absolutely, yes!

Of course, life hasn’t been all sunshine—challenges still show up, as they always do. But choosing to say yes to joy has become a powerful act of self-nurturing. It’s filling my resilience bucket and gently guiding me back to the person I want to be.

What might you say yes to this season? ❤️

With resilience, 

Meri and the Dovetail Learning team

P.S.  To those fighting oppression, know that choosing joy is also an act of resistance.