Break Time
Hitting the pause button until the new year
Welcome to Joy Ride, a monthly dose of joy, good things, creativity prompts, and gratitude by writer Jennifer Chen. If you like it, please share this newsletter with someone who might like it too.
Your Pep Talk 🫶🏽
I appreciate all of the love and support after I shared my breast cancer diagnosis. I heard from so many wonderful people, received gifts, notes, and meals for our family. Thank you. Surgery went well! And good news: the cancer hasn’t spread.
But what I realized this month is that I need to cut out a few things for now, even though it frustrates me. I signed out of all social media and won’t be returning to it until the new year. I’m skipping out on a Disneyland trip with my family and seeing the second Wicked movie (I am so sad to miss seeing it in a theater!).
This cancer journey has taught me that I can’t do it all. I can do what is vital in this very moment: Doctors appointments, radiation treatments, time with my family, and writing. Everything else in my life is on pause. It’s hard because I want to do everything. I feel like I’m living in my own personal pandemic and isolation.
But as friends who have survived cancer have told me—it’s only temporary. So I share this with you to say that I’m taking a pause on my monthly newsletter. I hope that this means you’ll continue to search for joy in the small moments in your life. Please do! If you do, send me an email on what’s brought you joy lately. And please know that your kindness have given me hope.
Thank you. Be well. Have a wonderful holiday season!
My Latest News 💻
When I first got diagnosed, I knew I wanted to keep writing. I asked L’Oreal Thompson Payton to be my writing buddy. We hop on Zoom, check in with each other, then write. We’ve kept up the dates—and then I discovered a writer who created a fundraising campaign for Feeding America called Writers Against Hunger. If you’d like to join L’Oreal and I to write, please donate any amount to my virtual food drive. The Zoom link for the next two sessions on November 14 and 21 is on the fundraiser page. Hope to see you there!
Check Out This...
TV SHOW: Loot (Apple+ TV). This is my comfort show. Season three is sheer perfection. It makes me laugh. If you need a show that just brings joy, I highly recommend this comedy.
MOVIE: K-Pop Demon Hunters (Netflix). This is not just a kid’s movie. The music is infectious, the animation is beautiful, and the message is to be your true self. Also, the backstory of how it came to be is quite inspiring!
BOOK: By Invitation Only by Alexandra Brown Chang is a truly delightful, escapist read about a high-fashion debutante ball in Paris. I enjoyed every minute reading it.
FUNDRAISER: Please donate to your local food bank. The LA Food Bank, Feeding America, and Heart of Dinner are all working to combat hunger in vulnerable communities.
I'm Grateful For...
Pride flags (I ordered this one from Transpainter on Etsy). Naps with my cats. Snoring pugs. Warm homemade meals by friends. Tea gifted to me by Celena and Caitlin. Gift cards. Handwritten note cards. Reading a book I absolutely love from page one. My therapist. My healthcare. Burbank Book Festival (yay Emily and Erin!). Neighbors who donate to our free little library and pantry. Rest.
Take care!