MICROJOYS: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay

“In a culture obsessed with silver linings and self-optimization, Microjoys is a much-needed exhale. This down-to-earth, deeply human book is a gentle invitation to notice beauty and experience real moments of joy in what’s already here, and in who we already are—even, and especially, when life feels heavy and hard.” Emily McDowell, writer, illustrator and founder of Em & Friends

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Microjoys are a practice in noticing joy and uncovering hope, even in the most challenging times. They’re accessible to everyone, regardless of what life looks like. And when we learn to look for them, they’re always within reach.

They show up as quiet wisdom, unexpected memories, subtle treasures, and everyday delights that live in the small, often-overlooked details:
A polka-dot glass on a thrift store shelf.
A friend's quiet generosity.
The spice shop in your neighborhood.
A family tradition that still makes you laugh.
The ease of being loved exactly as you are.
A familiar chai recipe passed down through generations.

Cyndie Spiegel first began taking note of microjoys during the most difficult year of her life—when she experienced back-to-back unprecedented and devastating losses—and she found that these fleeting moments of hope helped her move through each day with a semblance of comfort and a lot more joy.

Through beautifully written narrative essays and prompts, Cyndie shares the microjoys that have kept her going through tough times and shows us how we can learn to see the microjoys in our own lives. Microjoys don’t change the truth of loss or make grief any more convenient, but they allow us to temporarily touch joy, keeping us buoyed and moving forward, one moment at a time.

For bios and images of Cyndie Spiegel, please visit our About page

PRAISE FOR MICROJOYS

  • “I’m just going to say it. Microjoys is the book we need right now. No, it’s the book we always need. And more than the book even, it’s the mind blowingly simple yet profoundly life changing, and for many, weirdly hard concept of what microjoys are. I’ve lived my life in the between space of grief and joy, deafness and listening, depression and being able to get out of bed, and finally I have found myself represented in a book I can carry in my purse (trust me, I carry what I love as talismans) so when I forget that life doesn’t just have to be one way, that things don’t only have to be hard, that binary isn't the only answer- I can open Cyndie Spiegel’s beautiful and hilarious little bible of truth and I can find the exhale I’ve been searching for. Friends, it’s here. This book is like oxygen but funnier.”

    Jen Pastiloff, bestselling author of On Being Human

  • "Microjoys is an inspiring and empowering book and Cyndie Spiegel is an openhearted, gifted writer. Using her own experiences navigating devastating heartbreaks as a template, she offers us delightful and profound pathways back to hope and joy. Never bypassing the reality of life’s challenges, the insightful stories and powerful prompts both honor pain and invite possibility. Filled with wisdom, wit, and lots of love, this book is perfect medicine for difficult times and Spiegel is an expert guide."

    Sebene Selassie, author of You Belong: A Call for Connection

  • “Microjoys! I have a name for them now, thanks to Cyndie Spiegel, and a renewed commitment to seek them out—those delights, mercies, and inexplicably magic moments, big or small, that are always right there, if we only open up and pay attention. Spiegel writes that freudenfreude, the opposite of schadenfreude, is the joy we feel for others’ joy. I’m feeling freudenfreude in advance, thinking about the readers who will discover this book, knowing the joy they’ll find in these pages. I’m so happy for them. For us.”

    Maggie Smith, author of Keep Moving and You Could Make This Place Beautiful

  • “Reading Microjoys is such a big joy. Moving, inspiring, and encouraging, this is the book you read when you are grieving or celebrating or reflecting or curious or wanting more or coming back to yourself. Read it with a full or a heavy heart, a busy schedule or a lazy day, a clear or uncertain future. There is never a bad time to read these words. You'll get exactly what you need. What a gift.”

    Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity and founder of Be More With Less

  • “Microjoys is a deep inhalation—a nudge to slowly open your eyes and take in all the gifts your life shows you daily, if only you’d look. What a wonderful, soulful reaffirmation that there is still beauty in this world, despite it all!”

    Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker’s Manifesto and The Beauty of Different

  • "Soulful, generous, and wise. Microjoys reminds us that even in times of struggle--when the notion of anything worth savoring, let alone celebrating, feels beyond reach--bite-sized glimmers of lightness abound. In the margins, the moments, the passing glances, and serendipitous flickers of awakening, Microjoys points the way."

    Jonathan Fields, bestselling author of Sparked and host of Good Life Project podcast

  • “Brave. In Microjoys, Cyndie Spiegel encourages us to shift our perspectives. Instead of constantly seeking joy, she teaches us to notice the abundance of joy that already lives within and around us. The pages of this book enable us to find joy in the unlikeliest of places--in moments of raw grief, through stunning disappointments, or when we simply don't know what to do next. This collection of thoughtful, deeply personal essays will change how you see yourself and your life--through stronger, courageous, and more hopeful eyes.”

    Meera Lee Patel, bestselling author of Start Where You Are and How it Feels to Find Yourself

  • “In a culture obsessed with silver linings and self-optimization, Microjoys is a much-needed exhale. This down-to-earth, deeply human book is a gentle invitation to notice the beauty and experience real moments of joy in what’s already here, and in who we already are—even, and especially, when life feels heavy and hard.”

    Emily McDowell, writer, illustrator and founder of Em & Friends

  • "Microjoys is a true gift to the reader. This book is for anyone looking to infuse their life with joy, meaning, and pleasure, and these pages are steeped with the reminder that even the simplest moments are rich with magic. Cyndie Spiegel provides a beautiful example of the fierce beauty that can come from moving through loss."

    Claire Bidwell Smith, author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief and host of the New Day podcastiption goes here

INQUIRIES

For media inquiries and podcast bookings:
support@cyndiespiegel.com

For rights inquiries:
Wendy Sherman
wendy@wsherman.com