Take time to enjoy the moments

Sometimes the universe aligns itself and screams a message so loud that you can’t possible ignore it.

I have been seeing ‘JOY’ everywhere lately.

It was the topic of my most recent bible study plan.

Then, one of my friends had this posted on his Instagram story:

“People are going to talk about you no matter what you do, so you might as well do whatever brings you joy.”

Another friend talked about the joy she experienced when people came together to help her during a time of need.

There’s someone I know who has a Christian podcast called Fighting for Joy. Her About description says this, “Life in this broken world is hard, but there is joy and hope to be found.”

Recently, she recorded an episode with her husband on the topic of menopause. She found joy in talking about it. I love that, because I’m not sure the first word I would use to describe this phase of life would be joy.

Four examples of joy within a short period of time? Okay, universe, I got you!

How can we define joy?

Joy is defined as “a feeling of great pleasure of happiness.”

By that definition, one would think that joy only comes from monumental events, but I like to think it comes from everyday occurrences if we choose to frame them that way.

Why wouldn’t we?

We can find joy anywhere and everywhere. Here are a few examples of where I found joy today:

• I woke up and was given the day.
• My husband and I went for a walk.
• I texted with five of my loved ones.
• My podcast turned one year old.
• I sat on the deck several times throughout the day.
• I set up my new phone all by myself.

Some of these examples were big moments for me like my podcast’s birthday and setting up my new phone (as well as pairing it with my watch – big time joy!).

Some of them were simple moments like texts with loved ones. I used to take texting family and friends for granted. I don’t do that anymore.

While being able to sit on the deck is a small moment, having clean air to breathe isn’t. When I think about how the poor air quality is affecting parts of the United States from the wildfires in Canada, it’s another clear indication that we aren’t taking care of the environment in ways that we should be (but that’s a piece for another day).

Call to action.

Instead of sleepwalking through another day, I challenge you to keep a piece of paper or a small notebook with you. Each time you feel joy, write down whatever it was that brought it to you.

At the end of the day, look back on your list. You won’t regret it.

In fact, I guarantee that reading back through the list itself will bring you joy.

Be well, friends.