92 Things that Brought Me Joy in 2020

No need to recap the bad, let’s get right to the good.

1. Dying My Hair Purple (a childhood dream).
2. Successfully navigating a full semester of graduate school online.
3. Moving into a new apartment. I am truly living the New York Dream.
4. My plant babies and teenagers.
5. The Jhene Aiko Concert at Radio City Music Hall Tiny Desk that I’ve been able to replay whenever I want.
6. Tiny Desks Concerts, even when they’re not at the official tiny desk
7. Chloe X Halle…and their tennis court.
8. Ari Lennox
9. Teyana Taylor
10. Liane LaHavas
11. Amplifying female rappers and celebrating their talents.
12. Kamala Harris, Vice President-Elect of Thee United States of America.
13. NFL Football signaling the start of the Fall and transitioning to a new phase of the year.
14. Having reliable non-public transportation in the middle of a pandemic
15. Brunching with friends pre-pandemic.
16. Successfully brunching with friends during a pandemic.
17. 70-degree weather on November 7th.
18. Desus and Mero. The show, the podcast, the books, the ice cream.
19. The Breakfast Club, even when the zoom interview audio was trash.
20. Hot Ones, and honestly Sean Evans as a host. No one does a better interview.
21. The Real Housewives of Potomac for reminding us of how carefree we were before the world changed forever.
22. The two Black men who paid for my meal unexpectedly, in an Upper West Side Pho Noodle Shop.
23. Having a Wegmans in NYC (even though there is no sub shop).
24. Black-Owned Businesses.
25. Small Businesses that have
26. Spending 5 months with my boo.
27. Realizing I could spend every day with my boo, and feeling excited. (#LongDistanceRelationshipGoals).
28. Making friends on the internet when real ones are far away.
29. Andrew Yang announcing he is running for Mayor of NYC.
30. Investing in a Tushy (no fears of TP shortages and saving the environment).
31. Mastering the perfect spicy margarita recipe (sometimes it took a few tries a day and it was worth it).
32. Nav’s Popcorn
33. Homemade risotto
34. Recognizing my growth, and celebrating in the moment.
35. Appreciating my wins, and taking the time to be grateful.
36. Seeing White People work to finally understand why we say, Black Lives Matter.
37. The sensation that was Tiger King.
38. Buying a new laptop (no more 5 minute startup times!).
39. Successfully growing a garden (sautéed zucchini for months!).
40. Spending a week in Washington, DC on a life-changing experience.
41. Flexing my advocacy muscle in Albany for children across New York State.
42. ClassPass. Though short-lived, getting fit never felt so fun.
43. Finding purpose through a career in public service.
44. Finding peace in being present.
45. Having compassionate coworkers and positive work culture.
46. Feeling fulfilled during a draining year.
47. Recognizing that time is a social construct.
48. Binging. Food, Drinks, TV, Music. There is joy in excess.
49. Tiny Cottages near the Canadian border.
50. Seamless
51. Postmates
52. Door Dash
53. UPS
54. FedEx
55. USPS
56. Ikea
57. Target
58. Wayfair
59. Hello Fresh
60. Blue Apron
61. Home Chef
62. The “Skip Intro” feature on streaming sites.
63. Realizing I’m becoming the woman of my dreams.
64. Finding a new job in the midst of a pandemic.
65. Having financial security after months of uncertainty.
66. Having my passions and pursuits recognized by others.
67. Accepting my body in whatever shape it’s giving.
68. Finding healthy ways to cope in uncertain times.
69. Celebrating wins, no matter how small.
70. Juneteenth becoming more nationally recognized (I’ll take a free vacay day!).
71. Hamilton (very much lives up to the hype).
72. The Song My Shot (one a few show tunes I know by heart).
73. The Friendzone Podcast
74. The Read Podcast
75. Chilombo
76. Please excuse me for being antisocial
77. Racism returning to normal levels post-election.
78. Dionne Warwick on Twitter.
79. Blocking Tr*mp on Twitter.
80. Black Twitter. The joy of turning literally any negative into a positive.
81. Verzuz Battles (because a playlist is fun, but the live show is better).
82. Feeling like a badass woman thanks to Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion.
83. Doja Cat
84. Mulatto
85. City Girls
86. Unproblematic white rapper Jack Harlow.
87. Finding clarity in times of confusion.
88. Holiday Classics to curb the Grinch and bring me some Christmas Cheer
89. Realizing there is no place like home for the holidays.
90. Recognizing my work ethic, even in a pandemic, will always lead me to success.
91. Finding unconventional ways to do the most conventional things.
92. Seeing the Buffalo Bills win, a lot! (forever a Patriots fan but loyal to the upstate squad).