Well folks, 2025 has made her presence known. Personally, I reached a level of doom scrolling this week not seen since the spring of 2020. The world feels heavy and overwhelming and it is difficult to determine where to prioritize concern and focus action: Fires in LA? Snow in New Orleans? Rights at risk or already stripped from nearly every demographic outside of wealthy white men? What is the biggest threat? How can regular people with regular jobs leading regular lives make a difference?

Can you feel my anxiety rising? 

I know I’m not alone because my doom scrolling told me so. There are folks out there reminding us that this is a marathon, not a sprint. That its ok to take breaks from the news and social media, to rest. And all of this is true and excellent reminders. However, it was one friends post in their Instagram story that really spoke to me.

I got to know the force that is Tamika Lawrence Hartig when Miguel performed alongside her in If/Then on Broadway. She is compassionate, funny, generous, and will not hesitate to tell it how it is. She also happens to have a powerhouse of a voice and a presence as a performer that is otherworldly. If you get the chance to see her live – go.

 For years now, Tamika has been making entertaining, often musical, and always informative videos about race, discrimination, and the black experience. Videos I have devoured as a white person looking to do better and be better. Then on Wednesday, in the midst of a WTF-is-happening avalanche, I happened upon Tamika’s instastory. 

“From a black person to a potentially non-black person I’m going to say this,” She began. “…We know black people have been going through %$#! In this country and in this world since the dawn of dawn right? The most important thing, the key element to Black resistance is joy. And that is dancing, laughing, singing, cooking, loving, going to a cookout. Because I’m concerned that it’s day three and some of y’all ain’t going to make it this year. 

And she was right. If I let myself continue on this path of panic and fear I would be tucked in a fetal position eating ice cream out of the carton by Sunday. And that doesn’t do anyone any good, least of all my metabolism.

Her sentiment made me think of the blog I posted last week about how life goes on even amidst grief and tragedy. That life NEEDS to go on. In fact, it is up to those of us not directly affected by tragedy to keep the world spinning so that when those grieving are ready to reenter the world it will be ready for them.

But how does that work when it is a huge swath of the country that is grieving? When change is occurring faster than we can keep up with? According to Tamika, even under these circumstances life still has to go on, and within that life we must find joy. Joy is the fuel that will keep us going, that reminds us what we are working for and toward. It is everything that is beautiful in this life that we want to retain.

Tamika isn’t saying we should focus exclusively on joy, but that it needs to be a part of our mental pie chart - right along with awareness, advocacy, and activism. We still need to do the hard work and it’s still going to be a marathon - but we must also make room for DAILY joy. Whatever that looks like for you.

Beyond the case for long term sanity there is also something to be said for joy as its own form of resistance. Joy is a sign of resilience and energy. It sends the message that efforts to discipline, gaslight, or silence are ineffective. Look no further than a defiant child laughing at a frustrated parent to see this in your own life. 

In the years ahead joy isn’t just going to be desired, it is going to be imperative. So get in the habit of creating your own joy now. Joy that is yours, that you can control, that cannot be taken away from you. Starting today I am going to make a conscious effort to post a moment of my joy each week. To remind myself and others that life is still happening, there is still joy to be had, and perhaps offer a small reprieve in someone else’s doom scroll. If you’re not sure where to start with your own moment of joy Tamika has an excellent suggestion for you, “get up and dance.”

This week’s moment of joy: After our Kelly & Miguel show in Orlando, we took the kids to Universal Studios and Disney World where Anessa got to dance with Mickey Mouse. She was BEAMING.

ID: A costumed Mickey Mouse is dress as a wizard with a red cloak and blue conical hat. He is holding Anessa’s hand and twirling her in a circle against an interior castle backdrop. Aness is wearing blue Minnie ears with a yellow veil coming out the back, a mint green dress and pink leggings with strawberries on them.