“Please don’t tell us how much we saved with our coupons,” I say to the cashier at the grocery store. “My husband and I like to play a game to see who can guess the amount we save on our grocery bill. It makes grocery shopping fun!” She smiles at me and Jean-Claude, as do all the cashiers when we tell them this.

With my schizophrenia and Jean-Claude taking on the challenging role of being my caregiver, it’s often hard for both of us to get through the tough days. Days that feel like a heavy burden for both of us. So we focus on finding even small ways to sprinkle us with joy, especially in doing the often tiresome and mundane tasks that need doing to keep our everyday lives running smoothly.

Our little game at the grocery store is just one of the many ways we bring playfulness and laughter to our days and weeks and months.