This morning, as I sat eating my bagel, I glanced over and saw a little painting I made several weeks ago with the words, “Find Joy.” I love placing little sayings like this around my home, and finding joy has been a big theme for me since December.

This feels especially true now, as big shifts are happening in my household, opening the door for Nature Song to grow from a passion project into something that supports my family. I’m reaching out in new ways, stepping into unfamiliar territory, and navigating a pace that sometimes feels far too slow for my creative ideas. I want my offerings to fill up so I can bring them to life in a meaningful way and continue building toward a larger vision. I feel an urgency, a need for things to move faster, yet that urgency pulls me away from joy.

So often, we create special moments for children, the birthday parties, the field trips, the celebrations, while the adults watch from the sidelines, cheering, taking photos, and soaking it all in from a distance. The joy is vibrant and contagious, yet we often remain just outside of it. And while witnessing that magic is beautiful, I can’t help but wonder... is there space for us to play too?

Something truly special happens when young and old drop into joy together. When the lines between age and play blur. When everyone, no matter how many candles are on their cake, feels invited to belong.

I notice this ache arise when I walk past children’s parties, especially the indoor ones. The kids are laughing, running, and playing hard, while the adults sit on the edges, some chatting, some scrolling on their phones. There’s nothing wrong with that — we all need connection and rest — but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s missing. A spark. A shared sense of aliveness.

Joy Pods were born from this desire to create spaces where children and adults experience joy side by side, and even more often, adults leave the kids behind and do all the playing themselves.

I can’t wait for you to join me!