My mom and I shared a passionate nature. In the same way that I love inspiring people about food, my mom loved music so much that she created a band 50 years ago out of thin air with a group of women who really became her sisters, simply because she loved to sing! And one thing I know about the music they played is that it absolutely made people happy. I love feeling connected to her through our passions, and it brings me joy to see and say her name every day (and to hear others say it too) when I talk about the Patty Bowl from my nocrumbsleft pottery line.

I love the women who became her band and their daughters and our deep connection. You may have seen me with them at our mother-daughter luncheon in December on my Instagram stories, or you may have watched their rendition of “You Are My Sunshine,” when they sang to me at my book tour in Chicago. This week I asked this dear group of women, who have outlived my mother by 20 years, what brings them joy. I am honored to share their responses. 

Joy has many forms, and this week we have included thoughts from people who experience it in a variety of ways. I am delighted to include the responses of the Chief Impact Officer at Chopra Global, a comedian, a storyteller, a winemaker, an activist, a writer, and an amazing woman who just wanted to help her friend with multiple sclerosis get the medicine she needed. I’ve also included my friend Rachel and my own Lucy, who said almost every day as a child, “This is the best day of my life!”

A beautiful piece of music brings me joy. Everybody has a God-given gift, and I’m happy to have found mine—not everyone does. Singing is my gift, and I’ve tried all my life to use it. 
Mary Torgerson

Looking for the good in oneself, in others, and in every situation is the path to joy. Become a good finder. I guarantee it will change your life.
Anne Meyer, aka The Silver Fox

I love playing bridge online with the band twice a week. We figured out how to use Trickster, and we talk on speakerphone while we play. It’s such a treat. When I lost my beloved husband, I grieved deeply for a year, and then decided this is my life now. I’m on my own. You have to go through the grieving and live your life. And I am. I amaze myself sometimes. 
Sue August

Being in my garden with things growing and blooming takes me to a place of calm. It makes me feel good to do something so worthwhile. I take care of them, and they take care of me. Flowers are happy to be around. 
Barb Harris, aka Baby Barb

When I think about each band member, it’s such a vibrant group of people! I love remembering the ridiculous fun we had. There was nothing like the bond of making music together. Such an extraordinary group of women—the older I get, the more I realize it—and Patty Turner…she literally changed my life.
Ginnie Eades

Thinking about the band brings me joy, and I cannot think about the band without thinking about Patty. She allowed us to be outrageous; she allowed us to do things we normally never would have done. We were so spontaneous everywhere we went. Even though I live so far from the band, we’re still so close. We play bridge online, and we all keep doing what we want to do!
Barb Johnson, aka Big Barb

Every Sunday, Scott invites the grandmas over for dinner, and it’s truly a five-star meal each week. It gotten a little tricky with Covid, so we ended up doing a version in my garage. We used the giant box from a case of toilet paper as a table, and we enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and wine in the garage and driveway. That’s how we did Mother’s Day!
Julie Blackmun, aka Jules

We have been trained to think of joy as mostly grand gestures—the big stuff. The true radically transformative power of joy, though, lies in the small experiences. The #TinyJoys, if you will. Seek out the tiny joys of life and savor them in real time. The way the sun shines on your face midday or the sounds of the insects and animals moving about the world with newfound freedom. The next time you need to feel more deeply connected to yourself, go outside, find some grass, lie on your back, and relish in the life happening around you.  
 
Devi Brown, Founder of Karma Bliss, Multimedia Storyteller, Wellness Expert
@devibrown
Devibrown.com

I did my first impression, Austin Powers, when I was four years old. I was mesmerized by his quirky British persona and loved the feeling of making people laugh. It wasn’t until I began doing standup in college that I realized comedy is about more than making people laugh. It’s about connecting and providing people with a joyful escape. Every impression or comedic bit I develop shares one purpose: to earn me a lot of money. Just kidding! Comedy enables me to look at life through different lenses and to create joy—both for myself and my audiences.

Watch Matt on YouTube and on the Today Show.
 
Matthew Friend, Comedian and Impressionist
@matturdaynightlive
mattfriend.com

What brings me joy is serving others. To advocate is to give a voice to the voiceless. I fight for underdogs because I am one, as a woman who grew up in an immigrant family. I became an advocate for medical cannabis patients like my friend Marla, who struggles with MS. As a female advocate, I have experienced prejudice and harassment for speaking out against the unjust status quo. To other women—and to the men and boys we love and raise—I say this: now is the time to speak and stand up for ourselves and fellow underdogs. Our voices matter.

Get Maryann's book here. 

Maryann Loncar, Author of The Cannabis Advocate
YouTube
LinkedIn

A freshly steeped cup of English breakfast tea in the morning.
That cup of tea in bed. 
Hugs from my teenage boys. 
Collaborating with clever people. 
Making wine. 
The intoxicating smell of a freshly picked peach. 
Empowering other women. 
Baking. 
Blooming gardenias. 
Organizing anything. 
Being “Southern.”
Harvesting the bounty of my garden. 
A clean kitchen. 
The sly smile that appears when someone tries our wine for the first time. 
Music. 
The awe-inspiring beauty of this place that I call home: the Napa Valley.
 
Suzanne Phifer Pavitt, Founder and Proprietor, Crumble, Rennaisance Woman
phiferpavittwine.com
@phiferpavittwine

Joy has always been a method of resistance for me, and the only thing I love more than feeling it is inspiring it in others. Two months ago, I founded NourishNYC to financially and materially support protesters in New York City. Last month, I began sponsoring therapy and mediation services for primarily Black women and LGBTQ+ folks. Being in a position to empower people in my community has been filling me with more joy than I ever imagined possible.

As seen in Bon Appétit.
 
Tania Maree Giordani, Founder NourishNYC
@nourishnyc
nourishnyc.org

The ways in which we all feel joy have had to evolve drastically. To let my inner joy prevail, I’ve stopped judging what brings me joy, so I’m able to find deep joy in the mundane. If a flower by the sidewalk makes us happy, we’re worthy of feeling that fully! Simple things that bring me joy: 

• Walking the puppy, grabbing coffee, or making a stranger smile or laugh
• Consuming something each day on a topic I know NOTHING about. Things like shark week, a roundtable discussion on animators’ creative processes, a podcast about the untold history of Viet Cajun shrimp, and reading books by authors whose backgrounds differ from mine 

Lucy Hartman, Actor
@itsthelucyshow

I find it imperative to pursue joy right now, not despite the situation the world is in, but because of it. After 27 years of living yoga, I am 100 percent convinced that the best collective contribution we can make to the world is our own joy. My attitude is, I will absolutely not let the bastards get me down. I’m dedicated to riding my bike daily, simply because it feels great. There’s a sense of freedom I haven’t felt since childhood—I am so happy out there. I am beyond grateful that there’s an activity in the world that can do me like that. It’s almost like the day I discovered yoga. 
 
Rachel Fiske, Yoga and Tantra Teacher
ugoddessyoga.com

Crumbles and blog subscribers love the Marinated Red Onion Bowls for mix-and-serve dressings and sauces, pasta, salad, soup, snacks, cereals, fruit and berries, guacamole, scrambling eggs, watering plants, and holding watches and rings while cooking. There are endless options, and sometimes they just load it up with ice cream and go to town. They enjoy the variety of colors, the “perfect” built-in thumb and spoon rest, as well as their size. Click here to view the Shop.

We love the Chicken Fricassee. The tarragon at the end brings all the flavors together. My kids are always excited to see the book on the counter, and they love sampling as I cook.

Nancy Seguin
Boca Raton, Florida
@summerwilddahl

We are so fortunate to work with brands we absolutely love and truly believe in. If you are interested in joining the nocrumbsleft™ family as a brand partner, including sponsorship opportunities in the newsletter, weekly giveaways, or Table Talks podcast, contact us here to find out more.

In this episode from Season 1, I talk to my dear friend, fashion and home stylist Kate Shifrin, about our friendship and the washing machine story that began my “second act.” You’ll hear Kate’s thoughts on upcycling, not saving your stuff for something special, the “no-no’s,” and shopping in your own home.