Opalite - Creating My Own Joy (June 2026 Recap)

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I chose the word Opalite for 2026 because I love the meaning so much.  The word is the title of a song by Taylor Swift, and it means creating your own joy or happiness even when things aren’t going your way.  Life is full of ups and downs, so I thought this would be the perfect word to keep at the forefront of my mind as a constant reminder that there’s always something I can do to lift my own spirits.  And this manufactured joy doesn’t have to come from grand gestures or big events… most of the time it’s made in the small, everyday details. 

June was FULL of travel and so many other good things + the kids were out of school, so I feel like joy was abounding which made my job easy for the month because there wasn’t much I had to do to create my own.  The joy was just baked right in.  :o)  That said, here are a few of the things I did to keep myself on track for my word of the year.

 

-       One morning in June, I had to get up early, which is not my favorite thing, so I treated myself to a little siesta when I found myself feeling drowsy later that afternoon.

-       Our mimosa trees were in full bloom in June, so one evening as the sun was setting, I walked out and admired them up close.  They’re at the very back of our yard (and our yard is very large) so we don’t have the best view from the house.  And those are most beautiful up close.

-       There were some gorgeous sunsets in June during what little time we were at home, so you better believe I stepped outside to see them.

-       We had to fly unexpectedly, so I treated myself to a new travel set to wear on the flight since it was on super sale for Amazon Prime Day.  I love it so much, and when I recently wore it to the movie theater and then to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, I think my dad alone complimented me on that outfit no less than three times.  It was a great purchase.

-       I picked up another big stack of books from the library in June.  New books to read = so much joy!

-       I also purchased a book stand for my office.  It is sleek and beautiful, and it doesn’t overwhelm my already full craft table in the middle of my office.  It’s fully adjustable in height and angle, it swivels 360 degrees, and it has retractable arms that hold pages in place if necessary.  It’s one of my favorite purchases all year.  I’ve used it nearly every day since it arrived.

-       I got lots of use out of my icon glasses.  I love a fun glass or mug, and I’ve been rotating through all of ours.

-       For my cousin, Zoe’s celebration of life, my extended family decided to learn a dance so we could do a flash mob for her (she was a dancer her whole life, so she loves stuff like that).  We only had three days to learn it so at first, I was daunted by the thought of having to learn an entire dance + do all the other things I needed to do (unpack from one trip, do all the laundry and things, pack for the next trip, etc.), but instead of feeling overwhelmed by it, I just decided to go for it.  My personal trainer (Olivia) picked up the dance in, like, five minutes since she dances all the time, and she was able to teach it to me in 20-ish minutes.  We both had it down in just one session and we had so much fun doing it together!  I think we’re ready for TikTok!  Haha.

-       I purchased a cute new mug to add to my collection when we were in Denver.  I’ve wanted to go to Red Rocks for as long as I can remember, and since I finally got to see it in person, I had to get a mug to commemorate the moment.  And it was designed by a local creator in Denver, so that makes it even more special.  It makes me smile every time I use it.

-       When we found out the celebration of life for my cousin was going to be in June, we ultimately decided to all go and to turn it into a family trip.  Instead of flying out, doing the really hard thing, and then flying home, we decided to add a couple of extra days and see as much of Colorado as we could.  It ended up being a wonderful trip, and it turned a very sad situation into something I’ll look back on fondly.

-       After my cousin’s celebration of life, I came home and immediately tacked the white satin sash that we’d gotten (more on that in the recaps) on my bulletin board so I’ll always have a little reminder of her with me always. 

 

Happy Tuesday, y’all!