Merriam Webster defines Joy as a deep feeling of great happiness, delight, or a person and thing that brings happiness.
It’s a word, thought, emotion and feeling that has been admittedly big on my heart and mind for quite some time now.
What brings me joy? What joy do I bring others? Am I carrying enough joy in my daily life? Does this right now bring me joy?
I am well aware that this is a post that is not my normal content, really whatsoever, but who are we if we aren’t showing up as authentically ourselves (especially on the internet where who knows how many people, if anyone, will read this)?! I’m taking a leap because as I sit and type this (and delete, and re-type, and walk away and come back), the act of putting my words down on finding joy is bringing me joy.
If you know me, you know I am not sitting still often and am constantly doing something. I have a very lucky life, and I know I am oh so fortunate to get to live the life I do.
But lately? Lately, I feel like I am missing the joy in my day-to-day. I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching, introspection and general thinking about this missing piece of the cake (I prefer cake over pie any day).
And I know it’s a multifaceted scenario.
It may be that time is moving forward from a big moment in my life, and I thought I was over it, but I’m just . . . not. Add in staring down the reality of what happens next.
It may be that I’ve taken a step away from a community that was a big part of my life for so long. In doing so, the people who used to show up, don’t show up as much anymore. Adjusting to that change of space took more time to see it than expected; and that’s okay.
I stopped saying yes to something that used to bring me what I thought was joy, but really was more work than anything. I also know that that’s also something I know I can revisit if I want to see where I stand with it again.
Add in internal pressure to do ‘all the things’ and I’ve lost the sparkle that daily joy used to bring.
The biggest takeaway for me once I realized how much joy has been missing from my day-to-day? It’s fixable. Simple as that. I truly know I can find that joy in my every day by choosing to find the joy.
That’s what I’m doing. I am committing to the joy in my life, in myself, in the world, in others. I’m making a concentrated effort to find the joy every day for the rest of the year. If you see me in person, I challenge you to be a part of that. Find your joy, maybe share in my journey to find my joy.
Be. Joyful.
Here’s what I’m doing intentionally to find joy:
-Movement. For me, I have found that I really, really love to exercise (not a shock). We now have a peloton tread+ in NC and running on that is truly pure joy. I will be on that machine every chance I get. My workouts will be more fun than function and I’m taking the pressure off of myself with marathon training. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it may not always be fun, but I get to move my body and that’s joy.
-Hobbies: Gosh, I love playing mahjong and needlepointing. I’m going to continue to lean heavily in these things. If you don’t know how to do either, I would love to help you learn. If you do either, and you want a buddy, lmk. I am always down.
-Drinking the coffee out: I gave up indulgent coffees a few years ago because I just felt frivolous about an $11 latte. I have a great coffee setup at home, but I am going to stop shutting myself down when I feel like a coffee out instead of telling myself I can make it at home.
-Eating the pastry: The same as above, I find myself often talking myself out of a pastry, a sweet treat or a little browse through the options at Welton’s. One hot honey croissant is not going to hurt me. It will spark a little joy.
-Not finishing the book: if it’s not for me, I’m going to give myself the grace to stop that book. No one cares, why should I?
I want to challenge myself to find new ways to find joy. I’m going to invite a new potential friend to hang out, I’m going to say yes to more last minute things (I don’t love breaking my schedule or routine). I want to give myself grace to not get it all done in one day; if I want to take a break from work I can take that break.
I also want to invite others to find the joy with me.
Have an idea? I”m all ears.
I’m putting together more of a list that brings me joy, but I’ll leave you with the best video I’ve seen on TikTok and instagram: the happiest karaoke video.
I’m off to eat a midday cupcake and take a pop walk on the treadmill. I may even eat the cupcake ON the treadmill and stitch while doing so.
Let’s bring back some joy.
xx
