Tiny Joys, Pt. 3: Nomadic in New York

Thoughts on gratitude, the future, and escaping this man's basement!

Hello all!

I write this newsletter to you from the windowless basement of a stranger’s apartment. I met him last weekend at a party, then by coincidence, ran into him again a few days ago. Today, he asked me if I wanted to work with him since he happens to also live down my block.

As I walked towards his place, I thought, “This is probably safe, right?” When I entered, I asked him if I should take off my shoes. He told me to keep them on, and then proceeded to show me his basement, which included a saw, power tools and multiple dark cellars. If there was ever going to be a hilariously dangerous and ridicules way to see a stranger’s apartment, this would be it. I asked if this is where he usually stores the women he buries, to make normal small talk, but he assured me he composts them too, as he is an environmental activist and uses all these tools for “protests and installations” and not for “murder.”

And so, he cleared off a desk in this windowless basement, which is where I write this newsletter to you now. I wanted a change of scenery today, and I got it!

A basement where I was not murdered!

It felt like the time for a new segment of Tiny Joys, because I’ve already been thinking about joy a lot lately. I went to a Shabbat with friends recently, and we talked about how we are now in the month of Adar, which spans from February through March. There is a rabbinic saying: “When the month of Adar enters, we increase in joy.”

This year is a Jewish “leap year,” which means we add an extra month to the Jewish calendar. There are two months of Adar, so double the joy. This only happens about once every three years. So, it’s gotten me thinking more about all the tiny joys I am grateful for each day, but especially this month. And since I started this segment a few months and am trying to be consistent.

So, in no particular order, here are some tiny joys!

My Health - February marks a month with zero doctor appointments, unless you count a Telehealth call I had with a doctor after I had some pretty bad food poisoning and my brother convinced me it was e. coli. It was not!