It’s finally feeling like spring here– in my body and out in the world.

So taking inspiration from Modern Mrs. Darcy, here’s a list of things I learned in the last two months.  

1. I have to kick FOMO to the curb. Yeah, JOMO has been part of the social vernacular for a while, but I’ve only truly started to work on becoming a fan of the Joy of Missing Out recently. I don’t have the spoons to do everything I need to do, let alone want to do, so why not pick a few things and celebrate those?

2. Knoxville has a welcoming LGBTQ+ community. That’s not to say it’s thriving like Toronto or NYC, but it’s doing just fine, thank you very much, — especially in certain parts of town; I wish I’d had more time to explore.

Be sure to check out Wild Love Bakehouse. The cafe miel is delicious, and the pastries are flakey, but the gay friendly atmosphere is what I love best about the place. My boyfriend and I went for breakfast and ended up staying for hours because we made new friends.

3. Old Bay tastes amazing on cheddar popcorn. And a lot of other things. According to this meme on their official Instagram, I’m very Maryland, especially for a Canadian. How about you?

4. We forget more of what we read, than we think we do [The Atlantic]. Keep of a book of books, or “Bob” to help you remember. Says Pamela Paul, “Bob offers immediate access to where I’ve been, psychologically and geographically, at any given moment in my life… Each entry conjures a memory that may have otherwise gotten lost or blurred with time.”

5. Always put verbs in to do lists to make your list more motivating and less overwhelming. I learned this from a podcast Sarah Von Bargen was on, and I wish I could remember which one it was. She also says to measure progress on your to do list, not just how fast tasks are completed.

What have you learned this spring?