May 17 Day 70: Small Celebrations

Sometimes I need to celebrate little things. Rather than rising early to start work, I stayed snuggled under my covers and began grading. Finishing the first of three Matrix Algebra assignments before ever getting up, pushed away the gloom and burden of grading—tricking me into feeling optimistic about work for the rest of the day.

I have made real progress since Saturday morning:

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All but one assignment (including numerous late submissions) have been completed. After finishing tonight’s post I will get back to it. I might even get my To-Grade list down to nothing.

Other celebrations? The lawn finally got mowed (I broke down and purchased a new lawn mower). The purple irises by the pond are blooming (purple is my favorite color). My family is together and healthy and still talking to one another. All and all, we are very lucky.

For a slightly bigger celebration, I’ve been working with my colleagues to create a virtual event for our mathematics majors. I want to make it memorable–especially for our graduating seniors. There will be awards, honor society inductions, swag, and fun. For my part, I’m creating COVID-themed medallions for our Math Major Awards and I’m just getting started.

Let’s look for things to celebrate, be they big or small, and bring more joy into our isolation.