"Joie de Vivre", The Joy of Small Pleasures During a Global Pandemic
While 2020 has brought unexpected challenges, many of us have found excitement and happiness in the little things, such as the creative home-cooked meal, singing, and practicing meditation. Today’s woman dreamer, Vidya Iyer, known for her “joie de vivre,” expresses this sentiment, as she shares her exciting journey as a Chartered, Cost and Certified Public Accountant, deriving small joys from many beautiful things and lives life on her terms. As we say good-bye to 2020 and ring in the New Year, it is important to remind ourselves to take a step back and enjoy life’s simple moments. Enjoy Vidya’s Story Below!
Love it or loathe it, the current world-wide pandemic has put a majority of us indoors for a while. Although many may resent it, some have taken advantage of the situation to reassess their priorities and stay real. A little change of perspective and a positive mindset is all that it takes.
How can we make our lives interesting even in this isolation? The answer is simple: Don’t social distance with yourself. Be your best friend. And make yourself a priority whenever you can. You can still grin during these grim times.
Having grown up in a family where education is valued, my childhood days centered around chasing after many educational degrees. After graduating and receiving professional accounting qualifications, I worked in the corporate world for many years. Consequently, my hobbies took a backseat. Studying and working seamlessly made me yearn for the time to do some of these “me” things! However, the role of being a mother to my two lovely boys allowed me, at times, to live vicariously through them.
Along this journey, I realized that there is always something, however small, that I can do for myself with a little prioritizing and rearrangement of my time. Subsequently, it has been a goal of mine to pursue something that brings small joys and immense pleasure every day. I am excited to share with you three such ideas that may hopefully inspire you.
1. Creative Cooking and Decor:
Like many, I love the art of cooking, especially for my family’s enjoyment and feedback. In particular, I enliven a normally mundane task by finding a new ingredient to add to an old recipe, cooking fusion dishes, or plating with a creative garnish. Below are three examples of garnishes: “Christmas Tree” (with red and green bell peppers, onions and curry leaves), “Palm Trees” (with green bell pepper and carrots), and “Ladybugs” (with tomatoes and black olives). I believe it makes the food more pleasing to the eye and appetizing!
Another idea is to make your own centerpiece, for all occasions, by creating a fruit bouquet. There are easy do-it-yourself tutorials online and the results can be both appealing and delicious.
2. Singing:
Although I trained in classical Indian music, I have a penchant for singing Bollywood songs. But I rarely found the time to sing or record myself. However, with my “small joys” goal, I now derive enjoyment from virtual karaoke singing, either alone or with family and friends around the world.
3. Meditation:
This stressful pandemic has enabled me to pick up my meditation practice with fervor. In an effort to get closer inwards, I committed to leading a meditation group for three weeks. It was a rewarding, enriching spiritual experience.
As we continue to hunker down, some additional ideas to keep you engaged are: hiking a trail, writing a book or blog, doing origami, solving puzzles, painting, organizing your house, tailoring masks, baking, woodworking, learning a new language, gardening vegetable farms, working out, or taking online courses. The list is endless, and the possibilities to grow are limitless!
If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it is that life is unpredictable. So live the future you are waiting for right now! Make it count and enjoy being with yourself!
On that note, we also asked Vidya for her New Years Resolution, she writes,
Many say New Year is a time for introspection and resolutions. But is it really? I believe every day is a New Year’s Day and presents a chance to start over and make it count.
New Year’s Eve is a transition from partying your worries away on the last day to making self improvement a priority on the first day. But why should we ever wait to do that? I strongly feel one should party with themselves in whatever way they can to unwind, relax and reboot every end of the day and start over the next day as if it’s the New Year’s Day; and every new learning opportunity as if it’s a resolution! And the ability to remind myself to do that every single day is my resolution!
Thank you Vidya for sharing these inspiring tips with us! We are excited to have you in our empowered women’s network!
Bio: I am a Chartered Accountant (CA-India), Cost Accountant (CWA-India), and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA-USA) along with being a Bachelors in Commerce. I have several years of experience in the corporate world as an Auditor for organizations and banks, including the Federal Reserve. In addition, my passion for the game of Chess helped me become a Chess Coach for kids, something I have loved doing for the past 10 years. My interests include, but are not limited to, singing, dancing, creative cooking, fashion and modeling, zumba fitness, and martial arts! I am always exploring and trying new things and love to live life to the fullest.