Small Joys, Big Shifts: The Tiny Moments That Mean You’re Healing
A woman in our community recently told me, “Christine, I used to be the one who made everyone laugh. Now I feel like a lamp someone forgot to plug in.”
We both laughed—because midlife humor is part survival strategy, part sacred truth—and then she told me something else:
“I bought myself sunflowers. For no reason. And I smiled when I saw them in the kitchen.”
No big moment. No dramatic breakdown or breakthrough.
Just a smile. And a $5 bundle of Trader Joe's joy.
But friends, that’s the shift.
We’re told healing is supposed to look big.
You know the scene:
A mountain hike at sunrise.
A tattoo in a language you don’t speak.
A sobbing release in downward dog.
Most healing doesn’t come with background music. (Wouldn't it be great?! Then I might know what's actually going on!)
But, it comes when you notice…
you didn’t cry today
or you did, but it passed
or you actually felt something good for 3.5 seconds and didn’t push it away
Joy doesn’t always arrive with fireworks.
Sometimes, it shows up like this:
An iced coffee you didn’t guilt-trip yourself over
A squirrel doing something mildly hilarious on your porch
A moment where your shoulders un-clench without asking permission
These are not small things.
They’re breadcrumbs back to yourself.
Why do they matter?
Because they mean you’re still here.
Still noticing.
Still capable of joy, even if it doesn’t stay long.
Even if you’re scared it might never return.
I want you to know—your spark isn’t gone.
It’s just under a lot of ash.
And small joy? That’s the air it needs to breathe again.
What if joy didn’t have to be earned?
What if it was allowed?
What if you didn’t have to “get over” anything to get to it?
What if joy was a little flame you could protect, even while healing?
That’s what we’re learning together in The Midlife Surprise Society.
Not how to chase joy, but how to notice it again.
Not perform healing. Live it.
💬 Take a moment to reflect:
What’s one small joy you noticed this week—something real, maybe even quiet, that reminded you: I’m still becoming.
Write it down. Let it matter.
It doesn’t have to be big to be sacred.
Small joys create big shifts.
You’re already in motion.
